What is cotton that's truly good for your skin? Masuhisa Some Ori Kenkyusho's relentless pursuit of hand-spun cotton and gara-bo (traditional Japanese slow-spinning) cotton that makes the most of its natural texture

During the dry season, I find myself thinking that if we could just be more mindful about choosing what touches our skin, perhaps this skin of ours—prone to dryness or oiliness depending on the season—could improve, even a little.

Only you can care for and protect your own body and skin. And only you can protect your child's body and skin, too. When you think about "fabric and skin"—how what we wear directly affects us—one answer seems to lead to cotton: a plant-based, natural fiber that is among the gentlest on the skin.

This time, we're picking out items made from naturally cultivated cotton, spun into gara-bo yarn and hand-spun yarn, by Masuhisa Some Ori Kenkyusho—a place known as a last resort for those with sensitive skin due to atopic conditions and the like.

They kept at it, and before they knew it, people around them were calling it organic cotton

Masuhisa Some Ori Kenkyusho believes that "what's truly good for the skin comes from nature—something that preserves nature's blessings without disrupting them." With this conviction, they have been particular about cotton cultivation from the very start, growing naturally cultivated cotton for over 35 years at their own farm in Shandong Province, China.

Generally speaking, "organic cotton" refers to cotton grown on "farmland that has not used pesticides or chemical fertilizers for at least three years." In other words, even land that used pesticides or chemical fertilizers up until just over three years ago can be called organic once that period has passed. However, the naturally cultivated cotton from Masuhisa Some Ori Kenkyusho is a bit different in character from the general standard.

Founder Masuhisa Hirota

The reason Masuhisa Some Ori Kenkyusho is committed to cotton cultivation in Shandong Province is that this landhas never once had pesticides or chemical fertilizers used on it. Masuhisa Hirota, the founder of Masuhisa Some Ori Kenkyusho, encountered this place just as it was about to switch over to modern farming methods. He was deeply moved by the hand-worked approach to cotton production—a method that didn't go against the natural flow, once practiced in Japan as well. On the condition that the village continue its pesticide-free, chemical-fertilizer-free way of cotton growing, he took on the role of teaching dyeing and weaving there.

At the time, the local people had been hoping for guidance toward industrializing their textile production, so there were moments when his approach wasn't understood. But he persisted patiently in explaining his views, continued to properly purchase the yarn spun from the cotton they grew, and over time, helped them understand the meaning behind craftsmanship that values the environment.

Back when this all began, the term "organic cotton" hadn't yet taken hold. They simply kept up their pesticide-free, chemical-fertilizer-free cultivation, and before they knew it, people around them had started calling it organic cotton.

Masuhisa Some Ori Kenkyusho, which uses this special naturally cultivated cotton, currently offers two types of fabric at ZUTTO. The difference lies in how the harvested cotton is spun into yarn: "hand-spun yarn" and "gara-bo yarn." What sets each apart, and what makes each one good?

Gara-bo Yarn: Yarn Born from a Spirit of Reuse and Reduction, Now Updated

Gara-bo yarn refers to yarn spun from cotton using a spinning machine called a gara-bo machine. Originally invented in Japan during the early Meiji era, this machine was highly valued in a time of scarce materials and resources, as it could spin yarn even from short fibers—such as fallen cotton scraps or fibers reclaimed from worn-out cotton clothing. In essence, it was born from a spirit of reducing waste from fallen cotton and reusing old materials.

As times changed and materials became more abundant, Western spinning machines emerged, enabling efficiency and mass production. Demand for the gara-bo machine declined, and it gradually faded from use.

Masuhisa Some Ori Kenkyusho improved upon the gara-bo machines once used within Japan at a contracted factory in China, making it possible to spin yarn even from long-fiber cotton—something that had previously only been possible with short fibers.

As a result, gara-bo yarn transformed from something that was "stiff and firm, made from short-fiber cotton" into something that is "soft and richly textured, containing air within its fibers."

How the Gara-bo Machine Works

1. Raw cotton material called "yorico" is placed into a white cylinder visible at the bottom of the machine

2. When the gara-bo machine is set in motion, fibers are drawn up from the cotton and twisted together, becoming yarn

3. The yarn is automatically wound up, and the gara-bo yarn is complete

The gara-bo machine gets its name from the clattering sound it makes as it spins yarn. Though it is a machine, it spins yarn slowly—and because the pulling and twisting force is correspondingly gentle, air becomes trapped between the fibers, resulting in a fluffy, soft yarn and fabric.

For each cylinder of the gara-bo machine, the amount of yarn spun in a day is said to be only half that of hand-spinning. However, since a spinning machine contains many such cylinders, it can produce in greater quantity to make up for it—offering the dual benefits of the fine quality that comes from this kind of yarn, along with a volume of production that hand-spinning alone couldn't achieve.

What do you notice about the goodness of gara-bo yarn items as you use them?

Gara-bo Pillowcase

[A Plush, Soft Touch]

We've mentioned that gara-bo (spun on a traditional spinning machine) yarn from Masuku Senshoku Kenkyusho feels plump and full because it contains air, but there's another reason for that fluffiness beyond simply being spun on a gara-bo machine.

That reason is that the harvested cotton is not chemically washed or processed, allowing the natural softness of the cotton to remain intact. Many items made by major brands undergo chemical treatment to clean the cotton and meet certain standards, and when spun into thread, chemicals are used to "strip away" anything unnecessary. This process makes the thickness and color of the thread uniform, but it's said to also eliminate the air-containing layer within the fibers.

Cotton bolls, which exist to protect their seeds, are naturally rich with the blessings of nature. Because the cotton and thread from Masuku Senshoku Kenkyusho are not subjected to unnecessary processing, the result is a fiber that retains its soft, fluffy texture.

Gara-bo Relaxing Socks

【Softens with use, and absorbs moisture better】

There is data showing that items using gara-bo yarn absorb more moisture than ordinary towels. A regular towel absorbs only 85% of its own weight in water, while gara-bo fabric absorbs 107.5% of its own weight in water.

The reason is the gaps within the fabric. It's surprising to see that this, too, is a result of the goodness that comes from containing air.

Hand-Spun Yarn: A Sense of Handcraft and Natural Cotton

Aizome (indigo-dyed) UV-Cut Stole

While gara-bo yarn is spun using a machine, hand-spun yarn is, as the name suggests, spun by hand from cotton into thread. Naturally, hand-spinning has a much longer history than gara-bo, and it has historically been practiced in many regions around the world.

The raw cotton used is the same naturally grown cotton used for gara-bo yarn. The thread is twisted by turning a spinning wheel, but because human hands are involved, the thickness of the resulting thread is more irregular than gara-bo thread. It becomes thinner in places and thicker in others, with small knots forming where fibers meet and break, making it clear that this is a thread born from the state of the spinner and the material at that moment.

Gara-bo Twill Weave Stole

At Masuku Senshoku Kenkyusho, hand-spun yarn and gara-bo yarn have traditionally been used for different items depending on the product, but it's said that rising labor costs in China combined with an aging workforce and a shortage of skilled successors have made it difficult to continue producing hand-spun yarn.

For this reason, the hand-spun yarn items currently featured on ZUTTO will either be discontinued once remaining stock is sold, or will transition to using gara-bo yarn instead.

UV-Cut Stole, Striped

Unlike chemically treated cotton, which becomes stiffer and rougher with each wash, the gara-bo and hand-spun materials from Masuku Senshoku Kenkyusho retain their natural oils, preserving their softness and fluffy texture over time.

The cotton items made from gara-bo and hand-spun yarn at Masuku Senshoku Kenkyusho may not have flashy style, but they carry a rustic warmth and a sense of care for both people and nature that seems to seep through. This makes you want to treasure and use them with care, and I realize that this feeling is exactly what leads to a true attachment to the things we own. 

You can find the full list of Masuku Senshoku Kenkyusho items here