Japan · Textile Arts / Counted-Thread Embroidery
津軽こぎん刺し (Tsugaru kogin-zashi); kogin = a short farm jacket, sashi = to stitch
Counted-thread embroidery from the Tsugaru region of western Aomori Prefecture, in which white cotton thread is stitched across an odd number of warp threads (1, 3, 5, 7 and so on) of indigo-dyed hemp or linen cloth to build dense geometric bands of diamonds and steps. Farm women developed it in the Edo period to reinforce and insulate loosely woven hemp work clothes at a time when Tsugaru farmers were restricted to hemp and cotton had to be imported. It is distinct from the Nanbu hishizashi of the south, which counts even numbers of threads, and from general sashiko, which is covered separately in CRAFT-0478.
Risk level: Stable (active institute, school teaching and a steady tourist and design market); the production of suitable hand-woven base cloth is a recognized bottleneck · Not inscribed
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