Miyako Jofu is a ramie textile woven on Miyako Island, ranked alongside Echigo Jofu and Ojiya Chijimi as one of the finest, lightest, and most lustrous summer textiles in Japan. According to tradition, it began in the 16th century when a woman named Inaishi presented a woven cloth called 'ayasabi-nuno' to the King of Ryukyu. After being designated in 1637 as one of the tribute textiles owed by the Miyako and Yaeyama regions under the Ryukyu royal government's poll tax system, extremely fine and precise weaving was demanded of the cloth, and that technical tradition has been passed down to the present day. The raw material is ramie grown on the island; the fiber is patiently split by hand into fine strands without knots and twisted together into thread in a process called 'teumi' (hand-spinning). The textile is best known for its design of fine cross-shaped kasuri patterns woven into a deep indigo-dyed ground, and after weaving, the cloth is beaten with a wooden mallet in a finishing process called 'kinuta-uchi,' which gives it its distinctive supple sheen. Another characteristic is that thread-making, indigo dyeing, weaving, washing (finishing), and repair are each carried out by specialized artisans working in a division of labor. Miyako Jofu was designated an Important Intangible Cultural Property of Japan in 1978, and in 2003 the hand-spinning technique for ramie thread was recognized as a nationally Selected Conservation Technique.
Origin
According to tradition, Miyako Jofu began in the 16th century, when a woman named Inaishi presented a woven cloth called 'ayasabi-nuno' to the King of Ryukyu. In 1637, it was designated as one of the tribute textiles owed by the Miyako and Yaeyama regions under the Ryukyu royal government's poll tax system, and from then on extremely fine and precise weaving was demanded, a technical tradition that has continued to the present day. The royal government is said to have prized its thinness and precision so highly that it treated the cloth as a tribute textile of the very highest rank.
History
After developing as a tribute textile for the Ryukyu royal government, Miyako Jofu retained its reputation as a high-grade textile even after the poll tax was abolished in the Meiji era. It was designated an Important Intangible Cultural Property of Japan in 1978, and in 2003 the Miyako Choma-umi Preservation Society was established, with the hand-spinning technique for ramie thread selected as a nationally Selected Conservation Technique. A system in which multiple specialized artisans divide the work from thread-making through weaving is still maintained today.
Features
The process begins with 'teumi,' hand-spinning ramie fiber into thread without knots, and the textile is best known for its design of fine cross-shaped kasuri patterns woven into a deep indigo-dyed ground. In the finishing stage, the cloth is beaten with a wooden mallet in a process called 'kinuta-uchi,' which gives the thin, light fabric its distinctive supple sheen. It is also characteristic that thread-making, indigo dyeing, weaving, washing (finishing), and repair are each carried out by specialized artisans working in a division of labor.
Techniques
Ramie Hand-Spinning (Choma Teumi)
The bark and core are removed from harvested ramie, and the fiber is split into fine strands and twisted together without knots to make strong thread. A nationally Selected Conservation Technique.
Kinuta-uchi (Mallet Finishing)
A finishing process in which the woven cloth is beaten with a wooden mallet, producing the supple sheen and soft texture unique to Miyako Jofu.
Materials Used
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Artisans & Workshops
宮古織物事業協同組合
A business cooperative of Miyako Jofu producers. Visitors can observe the weaving techniques in a training room adjacent to the Miyakojima City Traditional Crafts Center, and weaving and indigo-dyeing experiences are also available.
Official site →工房がじまる
A workshop that handles everything from ramie cultivation to thread-spinning, kasuri binding, dyeing, and weaving. It holds a weekly Wednesday evening course where visitors can learn thread-spinning (bunmi) from local weavers.
Hands-on Experiences
宮古島市伝統工芸品センター
沖縄県宮古島市上野字野原1190-188
Admission is free. In addition to observing Miyako Jofu weaving, visitors can try weaving and indigo-dyeing experiences (open 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.).
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