A Week Showcasing Kiryu’s Textile Heritage
Kiryu is known as one of Japan’s historic textile-producing centers, with a textile tradition extending back more than 1,300 years. Silk weaving flourished here for centuries, and Kiryu became so closely associated with textiles that it earned the reputation of being one of Japan’s leading weaving towns.
Kiryu Fashion Week was created against this rich historical background to introduce the city’s manufacturing culture and creative industries to a wider audience.
During the festival, visitors can enjoy fashion shows, exhibitions, workshops, and other hands-on activities held at different locations around Kiryu. These events offer opportunities to learn about textiles and traditional craftsmanship while seeing how the city’s heritage continues to inspire modern creators.
Another attraction is the setting itself. Kiryu retains historic streets and numerous buildings associated with its textile industry and modernization. The festival brings these places to life by connecting their historical character with contemporary fashion and culture.
A Variety of Events Across Kiryu’s Historic Town Center
Kiryu Fashion Week takes place mainly in and around the city’s historic downtown area. Important venues include Yurinkan, the Kiryu Textile Hall, and Itaya Street, where traditional streetscapes provide a distinctive backdrop for the festival.
Visitors can find textile products and crafts made by local producers, fashion shows, flea markets, costume events, and other programs centered on fashion and clothing culture.
The festival also extends beyond fashion. Art exhibitions, music performances, and food-related events introduce visitors to different aspects of Kiryu’s local culture, making it possible to enjoy the city from many different perspectives.
Classic Car Festival in Kiryu
One of the most popular events associated with Kiryu Fashion Week is the Classic Car Festival in Kiryu. It is held at the Kiryu Campus of Gunma University in Tenjincho, Kiryu.
The festival brings together a wide selection of historic and classic automobiles. Rare cars from Japan and other countries are displayed at the venue, attracting not only automobile enthusiasts but also families and visitors interested in vintage design and engineering.
A rally through the area is also held, giving spectators the chance to see the participating classic cars traveling around Kiryu and its surrounding communities.
The event culminates in a classic car parade along Honcho Street. Historic automobiles passing through Kiryu’s traditional streets create a striking contrast between the city’s industrial heritage and the elegant designs of the cars.
Kaiba Sayaichi: A Recreation of an Edo-Period Silk Market
On Kaiba Street in Kiryu Honcho, visitors can experience Kaiba Sayaichi, an event that recreates the silk textile market once held in Kiryu during the Edo period.
During the Edo period, Kiryu’s weavers began producing beautifully patterned silk fabrics known as Hishaya using the takabata loom, a type of high-quality loom introduced from Kyoto.
These textiles gained a strong reputation throughout Japan. The Kiryu Saya Market became one of the region’s lively textile marketplaces, attracting merchants and customers from many places.
The historical Saya Market was held in different parts of Kiryu Shinmachi. Today’s Kaiba Sayaichi recreates the atmosphere of this traditional marketplace through the sale of textile products, handicrafts, and other goods, together with various cultural activities.
Antique and Traditional Tools Market at Kiryu Tenmangu Shrine
During Kiryu Fashion Week, the historic Kiryu Tenmangu Shrine also hosts an antique and traditional household goods market.
Numerous antique dealers and vendors set up stalls within the shrine grounds, offering old household tools, traditional crafts, antiques, and other items.
Searching for interesting objects among the stalls while surrounded by the atmosphere of a historic Japanese shrine is one of the festival’s distinctive experiences. The market also provides an opportunity to encounter objects connected with the everyday life and culture of earlier generations.
Kiryu Kimono Day and Culture Day
The schedule of Kiryu Fashion Week is arranged to include November 3, known locally as Kiryu Kimono Day. November 3 is also Culture Day, a national holiday in Japan, making it a particularly appropriate time to celebrate Kiryu’s traditional clothing culture.
During the festival, various exhibitions and activities related to kimono and Japanese traditional dress are held. Visitors may also see people wearing kimono as they stroll through the historic streets, adding a colorful and festive atmosphere to the town.
The History of Kiryu Fashion Week
Kiryu Fashion Week was first held in 1996. The first festival took place over five days, from November 1 to 5. From the second edition onward, the event began toward the end of October.
Beginning with the third edition, the festival period was gradually expanded. Today, the event generally continues for approximately seven to ten days, allowing visitors more time to explore its many programs.
The 7th edition in 2002 attracted considerable attention with a fashion show held on the stone steps of Kiryu Nishinomiya Shrine.
From the 11th edition in 2006, the Classic Car Festival was held at the Kiryu Campus of Gunma University. This added a new dimension to the event and helped broaden its appeal beyond fashion and textiles.
A Town with a Strong Manufacturing Spirit
Kiryu developed together with its textile industry, and the spirit of craftsmanship remains an important part of the city’s identity. Today, local creators work not only in textiles but also in traditional crafts, design, art, and other forms of manufacturing.
Kiryu Fashion Week introduces many of these creators through exhibitions, factory tours, workshops, and other activities.
Depending on the program, visitors may have opportunities to visit participating workshops and factories or experience aspects of the manufacturing process themselves. These experiences provide a closer look at the skills and traditions that have supported Kiryu’s industrial culture for generations.
A Cultural Event Connecting Tradition with New Creativity
Kiryu Fashion Week is more than a celebration of the city’s textile heritage. It also serves as a place where traditional culture meets contemporary creativity.
Young creators and designers are given opportunities to experiment with new forms of expression, while traditional techniques and materials can be combined with modern ideas.
The participation of artists, musicians, food producers, designers, craftspeople, and textile makers also creates opportunities for new exchanges and collaborations. In this way, the festival highlights the continuing possibilities of Kiryu’s culture and manufacturing traditions.
Enjoy a Special Autumn Experience in Kiryu
One of the greatest attractions of Kiryu Fashion Week is that the city itself becomes part of the festival. Visitors can walk through streets lined with sawtooth-roof textile factories and historic industrial buildings while discovering exhibitions, markets, performances, workshops, and other events.
Autumn is also a pleasant season for exploring Kiryu on foot. The combination of comfortable weather, historic architecture, traditional textiles, and contemporary cultural activities creates a unique atmosphere throughout the city.
For travelers interested in Japanese textile culture, traditional craftsmanship, architecture, fashion, or local history, Kiryu Fashion Week offers an opportunity to discover a different side of Japan.
With its meeting of traditional craftsmanship and new creative ideas, Kiryu Fashion Week connects Kiryu’s textile heritage with its cultural future while bringing the historic city to life each autumn.