"When I first moved here after getting married, it felt like I had wandered into a fairytale land. I dove in without knowing how Kurume Kasuri was made or how difficult the process was."

These are the words of Sayaka Ikeda, wife of Daigo Ikeda, the fourth-generation owner of the Ikeda Kasuri Textile workshop.

Originally from Chiba Prefecture, Sayaka moved to Fukuoka City, her father's hometown, when she was in junior high. After becoming an adult, she sometimes moved to other prefectures for work. During this time, she met Daigo through a mutual acquaintance.

"A coworker who happens to be a distant relative of my husband, introduced us because I like movies, music, and books—she thought we would have similar tastes. It wasn't suddenly about marriage or anything big—at first, I just hoped to make a new like-minded friend."

As their friendship grew and she started to think about marriage, Sayaka learned that Daigo's family business was Kurume Kasuri weaving. What did she feel then?

"I had vaguely heard of Kurume Kasuri, but when I searched online, I learned it was an Important Intangible Cultural Property. Still, I had no idea how deep the world of traditional craft actually was. Since it was totally unknown to me, my imagination had its limits. After agonizing over it, I just thought, 'If I can help in any way, that would be good,' and decided to marry him."

However, when Sayaka visited the workshop for the first time, she was overwhelmed by its scale.

"Since my husband and I usually met outside, I had never actually seen the workshop. Stepping inside, I saw rows of handlooms and vats for indigo dyeing—it was on a much larger scale than I had imagined. To be honest, I wondered what I had gotten into, and felt a wave of nerves, not knowing if I could really do this."

Despite her anxieties, Sayaka took her first step as a member of a family upholding tradition.