Traditional craft
Kijoka Bashofu
喜如嘉の芭蕉布
A light, crisp cloth from the village of Kijoka in northern Okinawa, woven from the fibre of banana plants grown for three years in the fields.
Key facts
- Officially recognised
- 9 June 1988
- Type
- Woven textiles
- Region
- Kyushu & Okinawa
- Official name in Japanese
- 喜如嘉の芭蕉布
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 国頭郡大宣味村
Cloth from the banana plant
Bashofu is woven from the fibre of the ito-basho, a banana plant grown for thread rather than fruit. It is Okinawa's signature textile: light and dry against the skin, it was a popular summer formal wear in the Edo period and is still loved for midsummer kimono. It is made in Kijoka, Ogimi village, in northern Okinawa.
Starting in the field
Plants are grown for three years, then the stems are split into four grades, boiled in wood ash and scraped with bamboo tongs. Fibres under a metre long are split, knotted end to end, twisted, tied for ikat and dyed with natural dyes. After hand weaving, the cloth is boiled in ash again, soaked in rice vinegar, washed and stretched by hand.
A national treasure of skill
Bashofu was probably made by the 13th century and spread widely in the early modern period, when women grew the plants at home to weave their family's cloth. In 1974 the bashofu of Kijoka was designated a national Important Intangible Cultural Property.
Good to know
- Kijoka is about two hours' drive north of Naha, beyond Nago. The village's Bashofu Hall shows the work.
- Ties, coasters and noren are lighter buys than kimono cloth, and the cloth's crisp, airy feel suits hot, humid summers.
Questions travellers ask
What plant is bashofu made from?
The ito-basho, a banana plant grown for its fibre, cut after about three years.
Where is Kijoka Bashofu made?
In Kijoka, Ogimi village, in the north of Okinawa Island.
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.