Habutae

Habutae is a type of silk. There are different kinds of "habutae" silk such as plain or striped "habutae". "Habutae" is traditionally used for kimono and undershirts. Recently, it is also used for general goods, works of art, and clothing. "Habutae" is smooth to touch, glossy, and soft. It has been said "The quality of silk fabric begins with habutae and ends with it." "Fukui" is a suitable region to produce "habutae" as the dryness and wetness of the air are well-balanced throughout the whole year.
History.
In 1871, Kimimasa Yuri, who was a lord of "Fukui" Domain (region), brought some silk goods from Europe to Fukui when he joined a study tour in Europe. He showed the goods to people who studied silks in "Fukui" and they started doing technical research on weaving "habutae". In 1887, basic technology for weaving "habutae" silk was completed in "Fukui" city. The economic boom of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 and World War I boosted progress and production of "habutae" in "Fukui". In the early 1900s, production of "habutae" in Fukui earned 1.7 million dollars, up to 60% of the total exports of "habutae" in Japan. The demand for "habutae" made in "Fukui" has kept increasing in Japan, and it is still used in many kinds of daily goods such as clothing.
Weaving Process.
Most of the process of making Fukui "habutae" silk is the same as the process of making "habutae" in other areas, but the weaving process of Fukui "habutae" silk is different from the weaving process of "habutae" in other areas. Also, the weaving process is the most important part of making Fukui "habutae" silk. Fukui "habutae" silk is made in a process called "nureyoko(濡れ横)". "Nureyoko" is a weaving method of weaving warps and wefts which is the two basic components of weaving thread into fabric after wetting wefts with water. Threads are made from raw silks that are imported from other countries such as China and Brazil. This process makes the cloth tight, elastic, and strong. It takes one day to weave 20 meters of "habutae".
References.
Fukui Newspaper, Publication Committee on the encyclopedia (1991). "Habutae". (p. 745). Fukui: Kosuke, Yoshida.