Traditional craft
Yonaguni Ori
与那国織
Four hand-woven cloths from Yonaguni, Japan's westernmost island, from which you can see Taiwan on a clear day, dyed with plants found on the island.
Key facts
- Officially recognised
- 18 April 1987
- Type
- Woven textiles
- Region
- Kyushu & Okinawa
- Official name in Japanese
- 与那国織
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 八重山郡与那国町
Four cloths, one island
Yonaguni Ori is the name for four textiles: Yonaguni hanaui, a delicate flower weave; shidati, a figured cloth; dutati, a plain weave still worn day to day; and kagan-nubu, a ribbed weave. Each is a simple, handmade piece dyed with island plants such as fukugi and sharinbai. It is made on Yonaguni in Okinawa.
One weaver, start to finish
Weavers scour, dye, wind and warp the thread, size it, thread the heddles and reed, and weave and wash the cloth themselves. Because each weaver gathers her own dye plants on the island, colours vary from person to person.
500 years on the border
Old records suggest about 500 years of weaving, and cloth was probably paid as tribute by the early 16th century. After the war, when thread was hard to find, islanders unpicked fishing nets to weave cloth.
Good to know
- On a clear day you can see Taiwan from Yonaguni, so a craft visit doubles as a trip to Japan's westernmost point.
- Small cloths and accessories are the easiest pieces to buy, and each weaver's colours are a little different.
Questions travellers ask
What kinds of cloth are called Yonaguni Ori?
Four: Yonaguni hanaui, shidati, dutati and kagan-nubu.
Where is Yonaguni?
It is Japan's westernmost inhabited island, in the Yaeyama Islands of Okinawa, about 27 km around.
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.