Structure and Strength of Traditional Japanese Woven Band, Sanada-himo

Abstract

Unlike other Japanese traditional narrow fabric such as braids, Sanada-himo has a woven structure with warp and weft intersecting in a right angle to produce a narrow band. Sanada-himo is hard to stretch and hence can be tied into very tight knots available to Samurai amours and ties of toolbox for the tea ceremony. The aim of this study is to clarify the reason for the high strength of Sanada-himo. The characteristic of the structure of Sanada-himo is that fineness of weft yarn is thicker than that of warp yarn. The effects of the fineness of weft yarn on the structure and mechanical property were investigated. Sanada-himo specimens were fabricated using cotton yarns with variable fineness of weft yarn. The structures such as shape of yarns, distance between yarns, crimp ratio of weft and warp yarns were observed by optical microscope and quantified. Then the mechanical properties of Sanada-himo were measured. From these results, the effects of the structures above on the mechanical properties were investigated.