History of Hikobe Science
Kiryu City, Gunma Prefecture, where our company is located, has had a thriving textile industry since the Nara period 1,300 years ago. Kiryu weaving, a luxury textile that has earned the nickname "Nishijin in the West, Kiryu in the East" for its excellent quality and high level of craftsmanship, is at the top of the list and has been highly acclaimed not only in Japan but also around the world.
The Hikobe family, a samurai family that came to Kiryu, known as the "town of textiles," during the Muromachi period, ran a weaving business within their estate, invented a new textile that was durable and warm by weaving silk and rayon together at a price that even common people could afford, and sold Kiryu textiles all over the world... They continued to help people by creating things from "a single thread" as times changed.
Although they are craftsmen, they always keep a spirit of inquiry and maintain a "scientific" perspective as they take on new inventions. The Hikobe family spirit that has been passed down through the generations in this town is still the origin of our manufacturing today.