--- description: Breaking news and analysis from time.com. Politics, world news, photos, video, tech reviews, health, science, and entertainment news. title: Making a Strong Weave image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Making a Strong Weave Japan’s relationship with the textiles industry runs deep. Beginning with silk production over a millennium ago, it evolved with local crafts such as shibori tie-dye and kasuri ikat weaving, which have become prominent national treasures. While low-cost manufacturing has shifted textile production over time to many neighboring regions, high added-value production has remained a mainstay of the Japanese textiles scene. Set in Tokyo’s historic “textile town” Bakurocho, Shirakawa Corporation has been a presence throughout this evolution. Founded as a trader of decorative thread for kimonos in the late 1800s, the company has gone on to become the go-to supplier for raw threads used in the most discerning of applications. As a family business, President Masakazu Shirakawa believes that it is his duty to preserve Japan’s textile legacy. “We use highly specialized methods to produce our threads, enabling the creation of distinctive weaves and fabrics that wouldn’t be possible without a robust foundation,” he said. Under the slogan of “Creation Woven by Threads,” Shirakawa has become a leader in high-performance threads for niche applications, including fishing lines and medical-grade sutures. Regarding the latter, Shirakawa is looking to expand sales of needle-tipped thread to the Thai market, helping to meet the growing demand for cosmetic surgery in Southeast Asia. The company also recently unveiled its new consumer brand of knitted hemp products, MAMORI, which means “protection.” “We’ve traditionally been B2B, but now we’re aiming to grow our consumer business. Hemp yarn dates back to the Jōmon period and is still used in sacred Shinto rituals,” Shirakawa said. “Hemp is naturally rough, but our technology makes it soft yet durable. Combined with growing global demand for hemp products, we launched MAMORI to convey both tradition and functionality.”  Making a Strong Weave ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/global-kigyo/making-a-strong-weave/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/global-kigyo/making-a-strong-weave/"},"headline":"Making a Strong Weave","datePublished":"2026-06-18T14:28:18.392Z","dateModified":"2026-06-09T07:28:00.913Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/branded-content/global-kigyo/making-a-strong-weave/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/branded-content/global-kigyo/making-a-strong-weave/","name":"Making a Strong Weave"}}]}] ```