Ainu Attush: Elm Bark Cloth of Hokkaido
Textile of the Northern People
The attush is a traditional fabric from Japanese elm inner bark, produced by the Ainu people of Hokkaido and Sakhalin. Unlike woven cotton or silk, attush is created through bark harvesting, fiber extraction, thread-making, and backstrap weaving. The resulting fabric is rough, sturdy, and slightly translucent, suited to northern Japan's cool climate.
Production Process
Making attush begins with harvesting elm bark in spring when sap flows and bark separates easily. The inner bark is separated into thin layers, dried, then split into fine threads by hand. Threads are woven on a backstrap loom into narrow panels, sewn together to form garments.
- Bark harvest: spring/summer, inner bark stripping
- Fiber separation: hand-splitting into fine threads
- Drying: natural air-drying of prepared threads
- Weaving: backstrap loom, narrow panels sewn together
Ainu Embroidery
Formal garments feature elaborate applique. The distinctive upshoro-kut technique uses swirling spiral applique patterns cut from cotton cloth and sewn onto attush. These spiral motifs and thorn-like moreb patterns serve spiritual functions: protecting the wearer from evil spirits entering through garment openings.
Revival Movement
After decades of assimilation policies, attush weaving is reviving. The 2019 Ainu Promotion Law recognized Ainu as Japan's indigenous people. Museums display historical garments and host demonstrations. Contemporary Ainu artists incorporate attush motifs into modern art and fashion.
