Knitters and buyers of "Kesennuma Knitting" expand to support reconstruction efforts [Miyagi Prefecture]

Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, suffered great damage in the Great East Japan Earthquake, but Kesennuma Knitting is helping to spread the word about the area's recovery. Originally a fishing industry, Kesennuma Knitting has now attracted many knitters, making it a popular specialty

We would like to introduce you to the appeal of Kesennuma Knitting

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What is Kesennuma Knitting?

The Great East Japan Earthquake occurred in 2011, but Kesennuma Knitting began in 2012 with the ideas of one woman who was still living in temporary housing

Kesennuma Knitting was started after the earthquake with the goal of creating a job that workers could be proud of. The idea came from the Hobonichi Itoi Shimbun project led by Shigesato Itoi, which later led to the creation of a company that makes hand-knitted sweaters and cardigans

At the time, there were only four knitters, and they would gather together to practice knitting techniques and inspect the products at "knitting meetings." Today, the company has grown to include over 60 knitters

Kesennuma has always had a thriving fishing industry and many fishermen, and there is also a tradition that men engaged in deep-sea fishing would knit sweaters to pass the time on board. This became known as the "fisherman's sweater," so it can be said that there is a strong connection between fishing towns and sweaters

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Kesennuma Knit is hand-knitted by one person from start to finish

The appeal of Kesennuma Knitting is the handmade feel, with each item being knitted by a single knitter from start to finish. As proof of this, each piece is attached with a tag that includes an illustration of the knitter's face, as well as their name and number

In other words, no two pieces are alike, and the knitter feels a sense of responsibility and joy in knowing that something they have knitted will reach someone else

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The knitters at Kesennuma Knit are a group of people like this!

Many of Kesennuma Knit's knitters have fishermen in their family, but they come from a diverse background. The Kesennuma Knitting website introduces each knitter, so it's fun to take a look

Each piece has a story about how they started knitting, so it's nice to know about the knitter before purchasing

For example, a woman who lived in an area where many houses were washed away during the Great East Japan Earthquake was able to share the sweaters she had knitted as a hobby, which had survived, and helped others stay warm. One knitter was glad that others had worn them because it was so cold at the time, and said, "I'm knitting sweaters today to keep someone warm."

Another man grew up on a beautiful island rich in nature, and as time passed after the disaster, he wanted a hobby, so he took up knitting and became a knitter. He has been passionate about knitting ever since, and is now a professional knitter. "The best thing about knitting is that the more you knit, the more it takes shape," he says. The man's knitting is always beautiful and delicate, and is popular

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Because each sweater is carefully knitted, even the most expensive ones have fans!

Furthermore, because Kesennuma Knitting's knitwear is carefully knitted one by one by the knitters in Kesennuma, it is by no means cheap. The fact that it takes many days to knit carefully without focusing on productivity makes it seem more expensive. You could say that it is an expensive hand-knitted sweater

Full custom orders are possible, but a fully custom-made cardigan can cost as much as 140,000 yen. Even so, these warm products are popular, and there are currently cases where there is a waiting period of up to one and a half years

The appeal of Kesennuma Knitting is that it allows people to become passionate about knitting sweaters, cardigans, etc., and to order a sweater and feel the warmth of the sweater while relentlessly knitting

Kesennuma Knitting <Information>

• Name: Kesennuma Knitting Main Store "Memories"
• Address: 1-12 Kashiwazaki, Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture, 988-0014
• Phone number: 0226-25-7326
• Official URL: https://www.knitting.co.jp/

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