Project 9 to Connect Traditional Techniques and the Global Environment to the Next Generation: "Upcycled Nibutani Ainu Handicrafts" Combining Ainu Traditional Techniques and Upcycled Paper Yarn "TSUMUGI" to be Released on Saturday, April 11th

Upcycle General Incorporated Association (Location: Osaka City, Representative Director: Hiroshi Morihara), through its "TSUMUGI" project which upcycles used paper resources and thinned wood into paper yarn, has collaborated with Katak LLC (Location: Biratori-cho, Saru-gun, Hokkaido, Representative: Maya Sekine), which handles Ainu traditional techniques such as "Ainu embroidery" and Hokkaido's traditional craft "Nibutani Attus," to create "Upcycled Nibutani Ainu Handicrafts," which will go on sale from Saturday, April 11th.

Collaboration to Connect the Traditional Culture of "Nibutani Attus" and the Global Environment to the Next Generation

Nibutani, located in the Saru River basin of Biratori-cho, Hokkaido, is a region where traditional craftsmanship through Ainu handiwork is carried out. The spirit of "using nature's blessings without waste" has been continuously passed down in Ainu craftsmanship, and one of its representative examples is "Nibutani Attus," which was designated as Hokkaido's first traditional craft in 2013.

Attus is a woven fabric inherited in Ainu culture. It is characterized by stripping the bark of the elm tree, boiling the inner bark, and making yarn from it, truly making it a craft born from nature's blessings. Katak was established with the desire to widely promote the charm of Ainu crafts and the richness of Ainu culture by re-examining these traditional Ainu techniques and beauty as items that can be used in daily life.

Upcycle General Incorporated Association's "TSUMUGI" project, which upcycles used paper resources and thinned wood into paper yarn, resonated with this Ainu handiwork. Collaborative products were developed with the theme of not wasting resources, reusing them, and enhancing their value. These include Nagoya Hachisun Obi, coasters, and fabric panels woven using traditional Attus weaving techniques with Attus for the warp and TSUMUGI paper yarn for the weft, as well as handkerchiefs adorned with Ainu embroidery on TSUMUGI fabric dyed with mugwort, which is said to ward off evil in Ainu culture, and Ainu