Hometown Stories
Stories about people, stories about life. Intimate portraits of people from around Japan, each leading diverse lives while enriching lives of others.
28. Mending Your Cherished Clothes
0.0Dec 19, 2021 · 25 min
A little workshop in Minokamo City, central Japan receives countless requests from across Japan to repair damaged clothes. Kaketsugi, or invisible mending, is a technique for repairing holes or tears in fabric. The shop is run by a father-and-daughter team: Kataoka Tesshu, with 40 years of experience as a craftsman, and his daughter Goto Yoshiko. The pair research weaving patterns in fabrics and are able to use a needle to accurately weave threads into gaps as small as 0.1 millimeter. The program follows them as they restore the cherished garments they receive.