Kojima — The Birthplace of Japanese Denim

Kojima (児島), a district in southern Kurashiki, is revered worldwide as the birthplace of Japanese denim and the origin of selvedge jeans production outside America. In 1965, Maruo Clothing (now Big John) produced Japan's first domestically-made jeans in Kojima, pioneering techniques that would define Japanese denim's reputation for craftsmanship, attention to detail, and innovative dyeing methods. The district's textile heritage dates to the Edo period when local weavers produced gakuran (school uniform) fabric and canvas sailcloth.

Today, Kojima is a pilgrimage site for denim enthusiasts, with the Jeans Street (児島ジーンズストリート) — a 400-meter shopping street lined with over 30 boutiques and factory outlets selling premium Japanese denim brands like Momotaro, Japan Blue, Kapital, and Studio D'Artisan. The area showcases the full denim ecosystem: traditional indigo dyeing workshops, vintage sewing machines on display, custom tailoring services, and museums documenting jeans history. Kojima's denim obsession extends to civic infrastructure — blue-painted vending machines, denim-themed manhole covers, and even a denim-themed tourist information center. The craftsmanship emphasizes old-style shuttle looms producing selvedge denim (characterized by finished edges that prevent fraying), rope dyeing techniques, and hand-finishing that creates unique fade patterns over years of wear.