Traditional craft
Miyako Jofu
宮古上布
A rare, deep-indigo ramie from Miyakojima in Okinawa, spun by hand, patterned with tiny crosses and beaten until it is smooth as wax.
Key facts
- Officially recognised
- 17 February 1975
- Type
- Woven textiles
- Region
- Kyushu & Okinawa
- Official name in Japanese
- 宮古上布
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 宮古島市・宮古郡多良間村
Ramie that feels like silk
Miyako Jofu is a ramie cloth with very fine thread and precise ikat, finished so smooth it seems waxed. It breathes well and is said to last three generations. It is counted among Japan's four great jofu, the finest ramie cloths, and is made on Miyakojima and Tarama in Okinawa.
From plant to polished cloth
Fibres are scraped from ramie stems and spun by hand, many by women in their eighties. The ikat threads are bound, dyed in Ryukyu indigo and woven over two to three months, matching tiny white crosses to within a millimetre. Finally the cloth is beaten with a wooden mallet, kinuta, to give it its gloss.
A wife's thank-you
Legend says that about 400 years ago a ship carrying Ryukyu tribute was nearly wrecked in a typhoon, until a Miyako man dived into the sea and repaired the hull. The king rewarded him, and his grateful wife wove a fine cloth to offer the king: the first Miyako Jofu.
Good to know
- A full bolt is one of the most expensive summer kimono cloths in Japan, so museums and craft centres on Miyakojima are the best places to see it.
- Run a finger over it: real Miyako Jofu feels glossy and smooth, not rough like ordinary linen.
Questions travellers ask
What are the four great jofu?
The four most famous fine ramie cloths of Japan. Miyako Jofu is counted among them.
Why is Miyako Jofu so smooth?
Its thread is spun very fine by hand, and the finished cloth is beaten with a wooden mallet, which gives it a waxy gloss.
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.