1. The Pazyryk tomb in the Altai Mountains held the oldest known carpet
In the Altai Mountains of Russia, there are ancient tombs known as Pazyryk burial mounds. The carpet found there is described as the oldest existing physical example. It was made around 500–400 BCE, which is about 2,500 years ago. [1]
Here, a floor covering with pile (fur) is called a carpet. It is also called a rug. [1] The beginning is thought to have been created by nomadic people living in dry areas where wool is plentiful. [1] However, this is an explanation of what is "thought to be." Regarding who wove the Pazyryk carpet, some people think it was made by nearby Persian people, separate from the ethnic group of the tomb owner. [8] [8]
So, how are floor coverings with pile made? Let’s look at the Japanese equivalent, the dantsu, as an example. [2]
2. Dantsu are made by tying tufts of wool onto threads by hand
Dantsu are made by tying tufts of wool by hand onto cotton or hemp threads (base threads). [2] After tying is complete, the tips of the wool are cut evenly with a kitchen knife or scissors to stand up the pile. [2]
Dantsu are a type of carpet. They usually refer to smaller, almost square items compared to ordinary carpets. [2] The name "dantsu" comes from the Chinese word for a floor covering, "tanzu," with kanji characters applied to it. [2] The presence of Chinese language in the name is likely related to the fact that dantsu came to Japan from China. [2]
So, when and how did they enter Japan? [2]
3. Carpets entered Japan early: is the Shosoin's Kasen a carpet?
In the Shosoin repository in Nara, a "Kasen" (flower felt) made in China during the Tang dynasty of the 8th century has been passed down. [6] It is a floor covering made by solidifying wool, like felt. Because the method of making it differs from carpets where wool is tied to create pile, it is closer to mosen, another type of wool floor covering. It can be said that wool floor coverings already existed in Japan during the Nara period. [6]
Dantsu, on the other hand, are said to have been imported from China during the Muromachi period. [2] During the Edo period, production began domestically, and Sakai, Ako, and Saga became known as production areas. [2] Among these, the most famous is the Nabeshima dantsu of Saga, whose weaving techniques were learned from China in Nagasaki. [2] That Nabeshima dantsu has distinctive materials. [2]
4. Saga's Nabeshima dantsu were woven with cotton thread, not wool
The technique for Saga’s Nabeshima dantsu is said to have been passed from China to the Ogi area of Saga about 300 years ago, and it is called the oldest dantsu in Japan. [3]
The materials are not imported wool, but cotton. The materials of Nabeshima dantsu are said to be locally abundant cotton spun into thread, rather than imported wool. It is introduced as suitable for Japan’s hot and humid climate. [3] Wool floor coverings were born in dry lands. Even within the same dantsu category, it can be seen that materials suited to the humid climate were chosen in Japan. [3]
However, regarding how the technique was passed on, another source explains that a person named Koga Seieimon of Ogi-machi learned the technique through Nagasaki trade in the mid-Edo period. Since this person appears in only one source, we only introduce this as "such an explanation exists." It is also said that Edo-period Nabeshima dantsu were for the Saga domain’s official use, that general buying and selling was forbidden, and that they were used as tribute items. However, since this was read in a summary, we do not state it as a fact. [3]
So, how did the same dantsu spread in Sakai, Osaka? [4]
5. Sakai dantsu were made in the size of one tatami mat
The beginning of Sakai dantsu is said to be in 1831 (Tenpo 2), when the thread merchant Fujimoto Shozaemon had Izumi Rihei weave them and sold them as "Sakai dantsu." [4] The turning point was their exhibition at the National Industrial Exhibition in 1877 (Meiji 10). By the mid-Meiji period, they were actively exported overseas. [4]
The basic dimension is one tatami mat. Sakai dantsu are made of cotton, and the 1-tatami size (width approx. 90 cm) is the standard. [5] When wide looms were developed in the Meiji period, larger ones could be woven, and they were laid side by side in large halls. In the Showa period, they were mainly exported to America. [5] Hand-woven dantsu from Sakai, Nabeshima, and Ako are called the three great dantsu of Japan, and the hand-weaving technique of Sakai dantsu was designated as an Osaka Prefecture Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 2006. [4]
So far, we have discussed dantsu as goods for sale or for large halls. So, when did carpets spread to the floors of ordinary homes? [4]
6. Carpets became everyday furniture in ordinary Japanese homes only recently
It was not very long ago that Japanese people knew carpets as everyday furniture. It is explained that some nobles, scholars, and businesspeople who visited Europe and America at the beginning of the 20th century learned about carpets as household items. [7]
In the 1920s, several guidebooks were published for using carpets as room decorations. Even so, it is said that most Japanese people were unfamiliar with carpets. [7] A very long time has passed since dantsu entered Japan. Still, the history as goods for halls or exports and the history of being laid on the floors of general homes seem to have followed different paths. How much they spread to households afterwards is not written here because the materials used in this article do not have numbers. [7]
7. How to check the back of your carpet at home to see if wool is tied
Things you can do at home: Look at the back of your home’s carpet or rug with an adult. The way it looks might differ depending on whether the wool is tied one by one or sewn onto cloth. [2]
Get a 90 cm piece of string and compare it with the width of one tatami mat to grasp the basic size of Sakai dantsu. If you measure the width of your room with that string, you can count how many would fit side by side. [5]
Things you can do by going out: The Sakai City Museum has held exhibitions on Sakai floor coverings in the past. [5] Current exhibitions can be checked on the city’s homepage. [5] If you want to know more, the history and techniques of hand-woven dantsu are summarized on the Sakai City website. [4]