Kawamata, Fukushima: The World’s Thinnest Silk Wins a Global Following

Fairy Feather silk is thin to the point of transparency, as seen in this scarf.

The cover page of an English-language woodcut print calendar produced in 1911 by the Kawamata Silk Refining Co., Ltd. This calendar was a bonus gift accompanying silks exported to Europe or America.

Fairy Feather (at bottom of photo) compared with silk cloth about ten times thicker, made by the same process.

A wedding dress using Fairy Feather, designed by Katsura Yumi, on display at the Fukushima Textile Exhibition held in Tokyo in March 2012.

An Ōhashi-style power loom on display at the Textile Museum.