The silk weavers of Kyoto : family and work in a changing traditional industry / Tamara K. Hareven.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hareven, Tamara K.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Weavers--Japan--Kyoto.

Weavers.

Silk weaving--Japan--Kyoto.

Silk weaving.

Silk industry--Japan--Kyoto.

Silk industry.

Work and family--Japan--Kyoto.

Work and family.

Nishijin (Kyoto, Japan).

Physical Description:

1 online resource (376 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley, Calif. : University of California Press, c2002.

Language Note:

English

System Details:

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Summary:

The makers of obi, the elegant and costly sash worn over kimono in Japan, belong to an endangered species. These families of manufacturers, weavers, and other craftspeople centered in the Nishijin weaving district of Kyoto have practiced their demanding craft for generations. In recent decades, however, as a result of declining markets for kimono, they find their livelihood and pride harder to sustain. This book is a poignant exploration of a vanishing world. Tamara Hareven integrates historical research with intensive life history interviews to reveal the relationships among family, work, and community in this highly specialized occupation. Hareven uses her knowledge of textile workers' lives in the United States and Western Europe to show how striking similarities in weavers' experiences transcend cultural differences. These very rich personal testimonies, taken over a decade and a half, provide insight into how these men and women have juggled family and work roles and coped with insecurities. Readers can learn firsthand how weavers perceive their craft and how they interpret their lives and view the world around them. With rare immediacy, The Silk Weavers of Kyoto captures a way of life that is rapidly disappearing.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

List of Illustrations and Tables

Preface

Acknowledgments

Conclusion: The Nishijin Experience in Comparative Perspective

Appendix: The Subjective Reconstruction of Life History

Glossary of Japanese Words

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 329-332) and index.

Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed.

ISBN:

9786612359477

9781597348997

1597348996

9781282359475

1282359479

9780520935761

0520935764

OCLC:

475929946