Modern velvet is woven “sandwich style” with looping running in between two woven backings. The fabric is then cut in two through the looping to produce two separate pieces of velvet, each with a cut pile. Moss Temple is woven in this manner, but is not divided. Instead, a caustic substance is applied to one of the backing fabrics and exposed to infrared light. Areas coated with solution burn and shred, allowing the rayon loops inside to peek through the tattered backing. This fabric, one of the Peek-a-boo (Hatsunetsu) series, reminded Reiko Sudo of the moss that grew among the rocks at Kyoto’s Saihoji Temple, thus prompting the name Moss Temple.