Customer Reviews

The Silk Weavers of Kyoto: Family and Work in a Changing Traditional Industry

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My college Anthropology prof liked to say that Anthropologists make boring authors. In this case, she was wrong, thank goodness. Ms. Hareven brings to this book her understanding of weavers and their conditions and along the way learns about Japanese perceptions of labor, gender issues, family, community and professional skills.

This is one of the first books I read in my (never ending) textile research journey, and I come back to it often. As someone who works with vintage Japanese textiles on a daily basis, I found this book has helped me to understand the weavers themselves, which in turn helps me understand the culture of weaving and appreciate it all the more. Knowing that as these weavers age they are not being replaced with younger skilled hands, I find this book becomes more valuable for its insight and information as time goes by. Ms. Hareven has preserved a slice of the Japanese weaving culture for those of us who may never have the opportunity to experience it first hand for ourselves, and for that I am grateful.