Report on Efforts to Build a Digital Archive of Ikat: Initiatives and Concepts Leading to Current Status

Ikat is a traditional textile craft that originated in India around the 8th century and spread to Southeast Asia in association with Indian colonization, Hinduism, and Buddhism. Ikat also spread to Europe and Central and South America. However, ikat is on the verge of global decline. This presentation is a report toward an initiative to publish comprehensive information on the pattern of "ikat", a world-class traditional craft, as an online digital archive. As a method for constructing the digital archive, we will collect major ikat patterns from fabric sample books from around the world based on biological methods, extract the smallest unit (motif) of the pattern, and create a database. It is also intended to be used by a wide range of users, including researchers, educational institutions (from elementary schools to universities), the general public interested in local traditional crafts, artisans at various weaving centers, and apparel makers who handle cloth.