Den Inoue, the founder of Kurume Kasuri
It is impossible to talk about Kurume Kasuri without mentioning Mr. Den Inoue.
Born in Kurume, Den Inoue lived an exciting and turbulent life.
I would like to introduce a part of that life.
Den Inoue was born on December 29 , 1788 in what is now Tsugai-cho, Kurume City, as the daughter of a rice dealer.
At that time, the daughters of farmers and merchants learned how to weave from an early age and helped them make a living by doing hand weaving.
Den has been helping with weaving since he was eight years old, and his dexterity with his hands is said to be excellent.
Then, around the age of 12-3 , I noticed spots on my clothes that looked like white spots. In order to investigate these spots , I unwrapped the cloth and discovered that patterns were born from the indigo and white parts of each thread !
This is the beginning of Kurume Kasuri. For this reason, Kurume Kasuri is said to be a textile that was born from the spirit of inquiry.
Den married at the age of 21 , and her husband died of illness at the age of 28 . By the time Den was 40 years old, he had over 1,000 disciples, and 400 of them are said to have opened businesses in various places.
As you can see from the number of people, the popularity and passion of Kurume Kasuri made it even more popular throughout the country, and the position of the Kurume Kasuri industry was established.
[Den Inoue's favorite item]
From top to bottom: reed, shuttle, glasses, scissors
Den passed away on April 26 , 1872 at the age of 82 .
Every year on April 26th , the anniversary of his death, people involved in the kasuri industry and his descendants hold a memorial service for the Founder's Festival at Tokuunji Temple in Teramachi, Kurume City.
The kasuri fabric made by this one girl who survived and survived became a big invention, which later moved the industry and blossomed in the civilization.
I, who lives in Kurume, am an entrepreneur who created ideas with unprecedented ideas and added technology to create innovation. increase.
[Tokuunji Temple, Teramachi, Kurume City]
Okamoto Shoten Co., Ltd. Maka Noguchi
Photo: Kurume Kasuri Cooperative, Kurume Local Industry Promotion Center