Keep it long, treasure it long.

Monpe that suits the Japanese climate

Monpe have been loved in Japan for a long time for their softness and comfortable fit.

Their natural functional fibers have a washed texture that is unique to natural materials, and the more you wear them, the more comfortable they become against your skin. They are so light that you will forget you are even wearing them. While there are many functional undergarments made of synthetic fibers to protect against the summer heat and sweat, Kyoto Chijiri Yamashiro has been making undergarments made of "Yangyang crepe fabric (chijimi)" for a long time.

Monpe for the Japanese summer

Monpe are comfortable even in the hot summer because of their loose silhouette and easy air circulation. The material's properties allow them to quickly absorb sweat and dry quickly, so they always keep your skin dry.
This is a traditional Japanese loungewear that you can wear to relax at home or on your days off. It once had an old-fashioned image, but with its high sweat absorption, quick drying, and cool feeling, it is being reconsidered as the most suitable fabric for the hot and humid Japanese summer.

The secret to its functionality is the unevenness of the surface of the cotton-linen blend yang yang crepe fabric. The unevenness reduces the surface area that comes into contact with the skin, which helps absorb moisture and waste products through capillary action, and is said to have the functionality of not feeling sticky.

The material used is a fabric called akiha, which has beautiful unevenness and stripes. Since threads are removed to create the unevenness of yang yang, most general fabrics use thick threads to maintain strength, but akiha is reinforced with thin threads twisted to the limit, recreating an unprecedented lightness and coolness.

History of Kyo Chijimi

The history of Kyo Chijimi is very old, and in the Momoyama period, Ming (Chinese) weavers introduced hemp-based hemp chijimi, silk-based crepe, and cotton-based cotton chijimi to Japan. It is a very light, thin, and stretchy natural fiber that is perfect for Japan's hot, humid, and muggy summers, and has sweat-absorbing, quick-drying, and cool properties. During the Edo period, it became popular mainly in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, but at the time, it was a luxury item with very little production and was rarely available to the general public. After the war, technological innovations during the high economic growth made mass production possible, and it became popular. Also, at the time, there were bleaching factories in Kyoto called Fushimi bleaching, so it was produced in Kyoto and known as Kyo Chijimi.

Knowing the past and connecting it to the present

Yamashiro has been making crepe weaves for 60 years, and owns its own factory, which is responsible for 80% of the domestic production of sutetecos through integrated production.

In addition to the know-how it has cultivated over the years, such as thread count, number of twists, weaving and bleaching methods, it has developed Kyoto crepe using a loom that is now the only one in the world, and continues to make sutetecos that are loved by many people, with sewing techniques that are said to feel like wearing the wind, which cannot be obtained anywhere else. Sutetecos are carefully sewn one by one by skilled craftsmen, and are said to be made with the comfort of wearing and the customers who are happy.

Yamashiro is a long-established manufacturer that has adopted the concept of "knowing the past and connecting it to the present," and is involved in product creation from scratch, checking the comfort of the product itself, listening to the voices of customers, proposing products that are truly needed, while conveying the appeal of products that utilize the inherited techniques to more people.
With these efforts spanning 60 years, the company has been a trusted manufacturer and has been selected as one of 96 model companies in the creative industry, an award given to companies that are working to innovate creative culture in Kyoto.

Monpe, once workwear, are now being made by Kyoto Chijiri Yamashiro, who has taken a modern approach to make their monpe appealing to a wide range of people, including the younger generation and people of all ages and genders, providing many people with a comfortable and pleasant daily life. Stylishly designed, they are recommended as loungewear, wristwear, and as gifts for Mother's Day and Father's Day.