Kokura-ori fabrics were woven in Buzen Kokura (currently named Kitakyushu City) since the Edo Era (early 1600's). Kokura-ori was used to make "hakama" trousers and "obi" sashes that were used by the samurai class. The women and children of the Ogasawara samurai, were responsible for cultivating and spinning the cotton yarn, then weaving it into fabrics, which were in turn made into specialty items that were prized in Japan. There are written records of Tokugawa Ieyasu who favored coats used for falconry, that were made of Kokukra-ori fabrics. A Kokura outer-garment, which was part of a kyogen costume from the mid-Edo Period (18th century), is in the collection of the Tokugawa Art Museum. During Japan's Westernization movement of the Meiji Era, the "hakama" style was developed into summer uniforms for male students, using factory-woven Kokura-ori in a salt and pepper pattern woven from grey yarns. The demand for Kokura-ori cotton clothing spread across the country, and factories could not keep up with demand, resulting in the manufacture of imitation Kokura fabrics that were manufactured in other areas of Japan. Kokura-ori fabrics were manufactured for more than 300 years, but production ceased in the early Showa Era. Textile artist Noriko Tsuiki was dedicated to reviving the fabric and after much trial and error, in 1984 she succeeded in the restoration of Kokura-ori. The cotton threads are yarn-dyed, then woven in factories. Noriko Tsuiki's successors ensure that Kokura-ori will carry on into the 21st century.