First Series | Ten Questions About Cloth
Part 2 | Mending Began Before the Cloth Tore
When I hear the word “mending,” I usually think of fixing something after it has torn. But an old Japanese sewing manual shows another way of thinking: mending could begin before a hole appeared. If cloth was difficult to replace, waiting until it tore may have been too late. People could notice thinning fabric, reinforce weak areas, and help a garment last longer.
Note: Unless an established English edition exists, English titles given for Japanese historical sources are working translations used in this Journal.
Before a Hole Appeared
川島裁縫女學校編『現代和洋裁縫全書―初歩から奥儀まで』—Kawashima Sewing School, Complete Book of Modern Japanese and Western Sewing: From the Basics to Advanced Techniques (working English translation)—was published in 1927. In a section on repairing cloth, it explains two different methods. 色紙繕ぎ was used when fabric had become thin but had not yet torn: a larger piece of cloth was placed behind the weak area for support. 刺し繕ぎ was used after the cloth had already torn. The difference is simple but important. One method began before the hole; the other came after it.
This was a sewing textbook, not a record of how every household in Japan actually repaired clothing, so we should not assume that everyone used the same methods. What we can say is that by 1927, reinforcing cloth before it tore was being taught as a sewing technique.
We can also find examples of reinforcement in work clothing. 徳永幾久氏『刺し子の研究』—Ikuhisa Tokunaga, A Study of Sashiko (working English translation)—describes a garment from the Shimokita area of Aomori whose cuffs were strengthened with cotton cloth and dense stitching. 柳田國男『木綿以前の事』—Kunio Yanagita, Momen Izen no Koto (Before Cotton, working English translation)—also mentions clothing reinforced around areas such as the shoulders and hems. These are regional examples, not a rule for work clothing across Japan, but they show something very practical: where cloth wore quickly, extra cloth and stitches could be added.
Mending Could Begin with Noticing
From here, this is canoha’s interpretation. I used to think of mending mainly as repair: something breaks, and then we fix it. These sources made me think about it differently. Perhaps mending could begin earlier—when you notice that cloth is becoming thin and do something before the damage becomes larger.
We still care for many things before they break. Why not cloth? When cloth was harder to replace, noticing a weak area early could help a garment last longer. So perhaps mending does not begin with a hole. It begins with noticing the cloth.
And when a garment could no longer be worn as it was, another question appears: what happened to the cloth next?
Next: Part 3 | What Happened to Clothes Once They Could No Longer Be Worn?