Bashofu

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Bashofu is a representative summer textile of Okinawa, woven from thread made of fiber taken from the stalk of the ito basho (Japanese fiber banana) plant. Old records suggest it was already being woven by around the 13th century, and it is said that by around the 15th century a production method almost identical to today's had been established. During the Ryukyu Kingdom era, it was grown in banana gardens directly managed by the royal government, and as a cloth used everywhere from royal garments to the everyday clothing of commoners, it was the fabric most familiar to the people of Okinawa. Kijoka, in Ogimi Village, Kunigami District, has long been known as a leading production area for bashofu. Production suffered devastating damage in the Battle of Okinawa during World War II, but soon after the war, Taira Toshiko began working to revive the craft, reestablishing the technique in Kijoka. In 1974, it was designated a national Important Intangible Cultural Property as "Kijoka no Bashofu," and the Kijoka Bashofu Preservation Society, centered on Taira Toshiko, was certified as the holding organization. Its defining feature is a taut, cool texture achieved through a process spanning about three years, from growing the ito basho plant to spinning the thread, kasuri binding, dyeing, and weaving; Taira Toshiko herself was certified as a Living National Treasure (holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property) in 2000.