Traditional craft
Awa Shoai Shijira Ori
阿波正藍しじら織
A crinkled, indigo-dyed cotton from Tokushima, whose airy texture was discovered by accident when a wet cloth was left to dry in the sun.
Key facts
- Officially recognised
- 22 July 1978
- Type
- Woven textiles
- Region
- Shikoku
- Official name in Japanese
- 阿波正藍しじら織
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 徳島市
Indigo cotton with a crinkle
Shijira Ori is a cotton cloth with a fine, uneven crinkle that keeps it off the skin, which makes it pleasant in summer. Shoai means pure indigo: Awa, the old name for Tokushima, has long been famous for its indigo. Today it is made into kimono cloth, noren curtains, placemats, ties, handkerchiefs and tapestries.
A happy accident
It grew out of tatae-ori, a striped cotton woven in Awa from the late 18th century. In the early Meiji era, stories say, someone dried a wet cloth straight in the sun and noticed it had developed an interesting natural crinkle. Weavers then improved the technique to make that crinkle on purpose.
Good to know
- Handkerchiefs and placemats in Shijira Ori are light, cheap to post home and useful in hot weather.
- Tokushima is the home of the Awa Odori dance festival, held every year from 11 to 15 August, and the Awa Odori Kaikan hall in the city centre shows it all year.
Questions travellers ask
What does shoai mean?
Pure indigo, meaning the cloth is dyed with natural indigo, a speciality of Tokushima.
How was the crinkle of Shijira Ori discovered?
The story goes that a wet striped cloth was dried in the sun and came out with a natural crinkle, which weavers then learned to recreate.
Where it comes from
More crafts from the same area
Local foods from the same area
Heritage stories from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.