Orimonya Yoshino-ori Coasters (Set of 2)

Orimonya
Size: Approx. 7 cm × 10 cm
Materials: 100% cotton

This set includes two coasters woven at Orimonya, a non-profit organization based in Yonago, Tottori Prefecture, using a four-shaft patterned weave known as “Yoshino-ori.”

Both coasters are woven on an indigo-dyed ground. One combines the indigo base with a brownish plant-dyed yarn, and the other with undyed ecru cotton. Placed side by side, the subtle difference between the plant-dyed yarn and the undyed cotton stands out against the deep indigo.

Each coaster is slightly small and rectangular, making it a good fit for beer glasses and other slim tumblers.

Orimonya

This product is made by Orimonya, an NPO active on the Yumigahama Peninsula, which links Yonago City and Sakaiminato City in Tottori Prefecture. In this region, once a major production area for Hakushu cotton (“Hama-wata”), Orimonya grows Hakushu cotton without agricultural chemicals and carries out the entire process in-house, from cultivating the cotton and spinning the yarn to plant-dyeing and weaving.
Weaving involves many different steps, from simple to complex. At Orimonya, including people with physical or mental disabilities, each person takes on tasks that suit their abilities and pace. By sharing the work in this way, everyone contributes to weaving a single piece of cloth. The NPO Orimonya serves as a place of collaboration where many people can be involved in textile work in a way that feels manageable for them.
For dyeing, they use locally familiar plants and trees such as Japanese holly (soyogo), Japanese knotweed (itadori), desho grass (karukaya), mimosa, akamegashiwa, galls (gobashi), plum, loquat, as well as indigo. Most of these materials are foraged from nearby fields and hillsides and then simply boiled to extract the dye. For mordants, they use lye, slaked lime, and iron rust.
Each of the looms used in the workshop differs slightly in structure and operation. They are looms made between the Meiji and Showa eras, passed down from people in the surrounding communities and built by local carpenters who each applied their own ingenuity. Today, about ten looms are kept in working condition and used with care—not as antiques for display, but as fully functional tools.
When visiting the workshop, the steady rhythm of the looms and the occasional bursts of cheerful conversation left a strong impression. In this everyday atmosphere, careful, warm handwork is used to weave unique, high-quality textiles, one piece at a time.