Tanuki
Tanuki is a Japanese denim brand from Okayama founded by a group of experienced craftsmen. It makes selvedge jeans from its own fabrics, woven on shuttle looms and dyed with natural indigo and kakishibu.
| Origin | Okayama, Japan |
|---|---|
| Product | Selvedge jeans |
| Weaving | Shuttle looms |
| Signature dyes | Natural indigo, kakishibu |
| Website | tanukijapan.com |
What is Tanuki?
Tanuki is a denim label from Okayama, the Japanese region known for its jeans industry. The brand was founded by a group of craftsmen with decades of combined experience on the loom, and it aims to control every stage of the denim process.
Products and positioning
Tanuki makes selvedge jeans woven on shuttle looms, finished with custom Tanuki hardware. Denim specialist press has highlighted fabrics such as:
- Yurai: a 15oz cobalt weft selvedge denim, rope-dyed with natural indigo and loosely woven for a slubby texture
- Kakishibu: a 14.5oz indigo denim combined with kakishibu tannin dye, woven from Australian and US cottons, with blue contrast stitching and a leather patch
Customers can add chain-stitch hemming to set their preferred inseam.
Why it matters
Tanuki belongs to the group of small Japanese makers that compete on fabric development and traditional machinery rather than on volume. Its focus on unusual dyes and in-house fabrics has made it a recurring name in coverage of Japanese denim brands.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Tanuki denim made?
Tanuki is a Japanese denim brand from Okayama, where its jeans are made on shuttle looms.
What is Tanuki known for?
Tanuki is known for selvedge jeans in its own fabrics, including natural indigo and kakishibu dyed denims.