Passing Tradition to the Future

Yonezawa City, located in Yamagata Prefecture, is a historically significant land, once associated with famous warlords such as Masamune Date, Kenshin Uesugi, and Kanetsugu Naoe. During the Edo period, it flourished as a castle town under the Yonezawa domain.

Yonezawa-ori is a general term for textiles produced in Yonezawa. It began in the mid-Edo period when the 9th generation lord, Yozan Uesugi, encouraged the samurai to weave textiles using locally produced yarn as part of his financial reform, developing it into a high-value-added industry.

Characterized by the use of fine-count, yarn-dyed threads and high-density pattern weaving, Yonezawa-ori is now recognized as a production center for fabrics used by high-end brands. Locally and among fashion professionals, it is fondly known as “Yoneori.”