It's leather that's also called pigskin, but compared to cowhide or horsehide, it doesn't stand out as much.
Although it is pig leather, it is surprisingly soft and easy to process.
And most of them are made in Japan.
Today I'd like to introduce you to pig leather!

Characteristics of pigskin

Pigskin leather may not be very well known, but it is actually the second most commonly used leather after cowhide.
It is thinner and lighter than regular cowhide, more resistant to wear, and has good breathability.
Because it is resistant to wear and tear, it is also used for the lining of bags.

How to identify pigskin

Pigskin has a distinctive feature that makes it easy to identify.
It is the presence of triangular pores.
∴←There are holes like this all over the leather.
These holes make it easy to identify the leather and bring out the unique texture of pigskin.

Most of the pigskin is made in Japan.

In fact, pigskin production is thriving in Japan.
While raw hides (skin that is the base for leather before it is tanned) such as cowhide and horsehide are almost entirely imported, pigskin can be steadily supplied domestically, from breeding to manufacturing, so almost all pigskin products made in Japan are domestically produced.
That's why we use raw leather from domestically produced pigs.

In recent years, Japanese-made pigskin has gained a high reputation overseas and is beginning to establish itself worldwide as a leather material that Japan can be proud of.
It is also establishing itself as one of the few leather products to be exported.

How to process pigskin

There are various ways to process pigskin, including American pig, which has a luxurious feel, and pigskin rawhide, which is a translucent skin.
Pig rawhide is written as "namahide" and pronounced "kigawa".

American Pig

This leather is specially processed by rubbing off the grain (surface of the leather) of high-quality pigskin and applying linseed oil.
It has a glossy, amber finish and is thin and durable, and is said to be as luxurious as calfskin, the highest quality cowhide.

Pig rawhide

This is a translucent hide that is dried before being tanned.
As I have mentioned before ( What is leather? Tannin tanning and chrome tanning of leather ), leather is made by tanning hide, so this leather is not leather but hide.
This skin is commonly known as the translucent skin of the Yuu pig.

By moistening it with water, it can be shaped freely, and a finishing agent gives the leather a glass-like transparency.
It is also used as a lamp shade.

Summary of pigskin

The biggest shock I noticed when looking at all the pigskins this time was the existence of pigskin rawhide, a translucent leather.
However, I tried looking for pigskin products but couldn't find any.
It seems like it takes quite a bit of skill to process it.

I have always had an image of pigskin as being a bit cheap, but it was a new discovery for me to learn that there are many different types of pigskin.