Good old townscape that gave birth to Chita cotton

The Okada district of Chita City is home to retro townscapes and historical and cultural resources such as storehouses with namako-walls and blackboard fences. Cotton fabric production has flourished in this area since the Edo period (1603-1868), and the raw white cotton produced in this area was bleached in Ise and sent to Edo (present-day Tokyo) as “Ise-sarashi” and “Matsusaka-sarashi. In the mid-Edo period, Nakajima Shichiemon and others introduced bleaching techniques to the area, and the pure white bleached fabric eventually gained fame as “Chita Bleached” and developed into an industry that was sent to Edo and was said to be the best in Japan.

Experience the tradition and evolution of Chita cotton!

At the registered tangible cultural properties “Teori no Sato Kimenkura Chita” and “Densetsu Chita Kimen Tsumonoki,” visitors can try their hand at weaving coasters, luncheon mats, and other items using a hatagori machine.

At “Chita Cotton Antenna Shop 478,” a new spot that introduces the charm of Chita cotton, visitors can enjoy shopping for tenugui hand towels, purse, handkerchiefs, and other small items made by dyeing craftsmen from all over Japan, as well as white shirts and bags from the original “WATAKUMI” brand.
Durable and soft, cool in summer and warm in winter, Chita cotton has been spun since the Edo period and has evolved while changing its shape.

Nostalgic and historic buildings are also noteworthy

 

Chita Okada Simple Post Office,” with its eye-catching light blue Western-style building, was built in 1902 as Okada Post Telegraph Office. After being temporarily closed, it was reopened in 1993 and became the first registered tangible cultural property in Chita City. The mark of the post office remains on the devil’s tile of the roof.

In addition to the “Cotton Wool Storehouse Chita” built in the late Meiji period by Torao Takeuchi, the inventor of the automatic loom, the “Masayasu Residence,” which is currently used as a workshop for “Densetsu Chita Cotton Tsumonoke,” was opened by Dr. Masayasu Takeuchi in 1929 and is a modern architectural style building of the Taisho period.

From Okada, Japan! Unique food culture and new challenges

Okakiya Tatsushin is a direct sales store of Take-shin Seika, which manufactures and sells rice crackers and dumplings. Okada Katsu-don” is a revived version of a diner that once existed in the Okada area. The difference from ordinary katsudon is that there are two fried eggs on top of the pork cutlet, and it is covered with a sweet sauce made from tamari soy sauce, the same soy sauce used for okaki.

OKD KOMINKA BREWING, a craft beer brewery from Okada, is a beer brewery that makes use of ingredients such as figs, plums, and passion fruit from the Chita Peninsula to create original beer.

Please also refer to this website.

Okada Streetscape Preservation Society　http://okadamachinami.com/chitamomen/

Okaki-ya Tatsushin (Takeshin Seika)　http://www.tatushin.co.jp/

OKD KOMINKA BREWING　https://okdbrewing.theshop.jp/