OBORO TOWEL

Oboro Towel Co., Ltd. was founded in 1908 (Meiji 41) in Tsu City, Mie Prefecture, and has continued making towels for more than a century. The company’s official history notes that it obtained a patent for an “Oboro-zome towel manufacturing method” at its founding.

According to the company, its founder Shozaburo Morita, who also had a background as a Japanese-style painter, devised “Oboro-zome” as a way to add patterns to towels. The method dyes only the weft threads and was valued for absorbency and ease of wringing.

In 1927, Oboro achieved mass production of Japan’s first fine-yarn double-layer bag-woven gauze towels. The company states it continues inheriting this pioneering spirit through patents and new product development.

Regarding manufacturing, Oboro describes a focus on a post-bleaching process to draw out cotton’s natural absorbency. In the bleaching step, the company introduces a method designed to prevent chemicals from directly contacting the product by covering the fabric with another material while processing over time.

For sustainability, Oboro publishes SDGs targets and measures, including a goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions intensity (per sales) by 30% by FY2030 (baseline FY2013), and initiatives such as LED adoption and equipment improvements.

“Oboro-zome”: the company’s origin and a focus on functionality

The company explains that “Oboro-zome” is a technique that dyes only the weft threads. It gained popularity for practical performance such as absorbency and ease of wringing, and became the foundation of Oboro’s manufacturing approach.

A pioneer of double-layer bag-woven gauze towels (mass production in 1927)

In 1927, Oboro succeeded in mass-producing Japan’s first double-layer bag-woven gauze towels using fine yarns. The company has continued product development and innovation since then.

Post-bleaching process and on-site integrated production initiatives

Oboro introduces its commitment to a post-bleaching process to maximize cotton’s natural absorbency. On its SDGs page, the company also highlights its on-site integrated production system (weaving, processing, sewing) as part of efforts to reduce energy loss from transport.