Weave　(p. 59 )

1. Produced in Shiraminemura Ishikawagun, Ishikawa Prefecture.

2. Characteristics: Silk fabrics: white pongee and striped pongee, handwoven with home spun threads. Because it is so tough, it can pull out a nail when hooked, the fabric is also called "Kugi Nuki Tsumugi"(nail pulling pongee).

3. Uses: Clothing, coats, sashes, neckties, pouches, etc.

4. History: This district started producing silk from olden days because of flourishing sericulture and hand spinning techniques. It is said that the origin of the fabric was in the years after the "Heiji Revolt "(civil war) in 1159. First woven as side jobs for farmers, it was marketable as "Ushikubi Tsumugi" and "Hakusan Tsumugi" in the Genroku Era (1688-1704). It was industrialized in the late Meiji Period and flourished in the late Taisho Peiod. Since the Showa Period, however, production died out and only 2 factories are producing it today.