During the beginning of the Edo Period in the Keicho Era (1596-1614), Chita Momen began to be sent to
Edo. Unfinished, un-dyed cotton cloth was sent to Ise where it was refined into Ise-sarashi and
Matsuzaka-sarashi. It was sent on to Edo from Ise.

In the middle of the Edo Period, in the Tenmei Era (1781-88), the sarashi refining technique introduced by
Nakashima Shichiemon and others from Okada successfully popularized Chita Momen. It was marketed as Chita
Sarashi and was considered in Edo to be one of the finest fabrics in all of Japan.
In Chita, in villages which didn't have enough cultivatable land, spinning raw cotton into thread was a
common secondary job. Weaving on hatago (looms) was also an important job for women.
In many houses, women practiced "uchi-ori" (literally “house weaving”). They made shima momen (striped
cotton) for personal use mainly dyed with indigo. It was often said, "Nobody will take you as a wife if you
don't know how to weave."

In the middle of the Meiji Period, industrialization dramatically increased in Japan. In Okada Village, the
weaving machine that Takeuchi Toraou invented worked to increase productivity.
However, Takeuchi's machine couldn't compare to the automatic weaving machine invented by Toyota
Sakichi which quickly became widely used.

In the Showa Period Chita, Matsuzaka, and Senshu areas were famous as the three major producers of
cotton textiles. The automated machines dramatically increased mass production of high class, high quality
fabric customers wanted. However, in the present, various other Asian countries have taken the place of
these Japanese production areas, which have since declined.

Hand-woven momen made with Chita's traditional hatago looms has an exceptional texture which brings to
mind the manufacturing process and admiration for the traditional ingenuity that created it. The more you
know about momen, the more you can enjoy it's special qualities.

（Agency for Cultural Affairs）