Yoneshima Felt Co.,Ltd.,

One of the legends tells of a time long ago—a time before footwear. A barefoot priest was walking with his camel in the desert, and he became unable to continue because of the extreme heat of the sand. The priest suddenly had the idea of plucking hair from the camel and winding it around his feet to protect them from the heat. The priest continued walking and, when the sun finally went down and he removed his makeshift shoes, he discovered the camel hair under the soles of his feet had become compacted. The sweat from his skin, the pressure of his body weight, and the desert heat caused the camel hair to become entangled and compacted into a flat sheet—it was felt.

Another legend has ties to the tale of Noah and the ark. It says that when Noah learned of the impending flood and built the big ark, he laid sheepskins on the floor for the comfort of passengers and to hold their possessions and the livestock brought aboard for food. The weather was tumultuous, sailing was rough, and rainwater seeped into the ark. All the people and livestock lurched to and fro for much of the journey, and the heat build-up was terrific. The sheepskins absorbed the heat and moisture, and were pummeled underfoot, and soon became sheets of felt.

These tales give a general idea of what felt is and how it is made. The legends themselves may not necessarily be true, but they are fun stories that hark back to heady days gone by. In Japan, the earliest record of felt is a gift from China to Shosoin, the country’s great treasure house, in the Nara Period (710–794). Felt saddlecloths were one of the most prized spoils of the Russo-Japanese War (1904–1905), and proved valuable in subsequent military use.