Yokoburi embroidery is a unique machine embroidery technique from Kiryu in Gunma Prefecture, created using a special sewing machine that lacks a fabric-holding mechanism. Artisans guide the fabric by hand while controlling the needle’s width and speed with a foot pedal, allowing for expressive, layered designs with a painterly, three-dimensional effect. Originally used for traditional garments like uchikake and later for sukajan jackets, the craft developed in Kiryu’s water-powered textile region around 1912. Though it declined with the rise of mass production, Yokoburi regained recognition in the 1990s and was officially designated a traditional craft of Gunma Prefecture in 2000.