Introducing some trivia about Himeji leather!
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He is the musician for HushTug.
We've been experiencing some dry weather lately, how are you all doing?
The New Year holidays are over in the blink of an eye, and I think everyday life is gradually returning to normal.
This time, we will introduce some interesting facts about Himeji leather.
Please feel free to use this as a reference.
What is Himeji Leather?
Himeji leather is leather that is tanned and manufactured in the Himeji region of Hyogo Prefecture.
In addition, Himeji City in Hyogo Prefecture is known as one of the leading leather producing areas in Japan, and 70% of the leather distributed in Japan is made from Himeji Leather.
Himeji leather has a long history dating back to the Heian period, and during the Edo period it became an industry that supported the finances of the Himeji domain.
It is said that at its peak , there were as many as 80 tanneries involved in the leather industry in Himeji.
Nowadays, "Himeji leather" is a general term for tannin-tanned and chrome-tanned leather produced in Himeji, but originally the term meant "white tanned leather," a local specialty.
Leather production in Himeji has continued for a long time and is highly regarded around the world.
One famous example is the bronze medal it won at the Paris World's Fair in 1900 (Meiji 33).
So why is the leather industry so thriving in Himeji?
We will introduce some interesting facts while unraveling its history.
Trivia 1: Rivers were important for tanning
First of all, what is " tanning" ?
Some of you may be wondering.
Tanning is a magical technique that processes animal hides to prevent them from rotting, softens them, adds durability, and transforms them into leather that can be used for products .
The tanning process actually requires a large amount of water.
Himeji leather has a historical technique called "white tanning."
The process of making leather using this "white tanning" method begins with soaking the rawhide (cowhide) in river water to remove the hair, then leaving it in the sun and rubbing it with salt and rapeseed oil to finish it off.
The tanning process requires a large amount of water , which is said to be one of the reasons why the leather industry has flourished in Himeji, which has an abundant water source and gentle currents.
Trivia 2: Characteristics of Himeji leather
Himeji leather has such a long history, but today it is mainly processed using a method called "chrome tanning."
Chrome tanning is a process that uses the chemical "basic chromium sulfate" to make the material easier to handle.
This method allows for tanning in a short period of 1 to 5 days and can be combined with other tanning methods to produce a variety of types of leather.
Currently, approximately 80% of the leather products sold around the world are made using this chrome tanning process.
The characteristics of chrome tanning include high durability and scratch resistance, excellent elasticity and flexibility, heat resistance, and resistance to deterioration over time.
For this reason, Himeji leather is recommended for people who do not want leather products such as watches and belts to change over time, and who want to maintain the original color and texture when they first purchased them .
In recent years, a processing method called "combination tanning" has also been adopted.
This is a processing method that combines "chrome tanning" and "tannin tanning."
This processing method combines the best of both worlds: it provides the high durability that is characteristic of chrome tanning, as well as the "change in leather over time" that is characteristic of vegetable tanning.
It might be fun to choose items based not only on the design but also on the differences in the way the leather is processed.
summary
What did you think?
This time we introduced some interesting facts about Himeji leather.
It was clear that Himeji Leather is a region that has continued to produce high-quality leather products to the present day, adapting to changes in the times.
If you take a closer look, you may find that the leather items you regularly use are actually made from Himeji leather.
I would be happy if you could become even a little interested in leather products.
Thank you for reading to the end today.
HushTug