Chibana Hana-ori

Chibana hana-ori, a type of jacquard weave that used to be produced in the historical settlement of Misato Village (present day Okinawa City), was primarily featured in ritual garments worn by ladies participating in the all-female usudaiko festival held each lunar year on the 15th of August, as well as the umaharashi, a horse racing festival for men that occurs on the 14th of August on the lunar calendar. The textile uses mainly cotton thread, although wild banana fibers, silk and goat hair have also been incorporated. Deep royal blue indigo-hued fabric dressed with three-dimensional patterns of white and red that appear to be floating above the textile’s surface are created by weaving patterned thread on the weft (tate-uki hana-ori), unlike most other types of hana-ori where floating patterns are weaving using warp thread. Historically, the cloth was weaved for daily use and was not an object of tributary payment, thus allowing its designs to be more expressive and diverse than other weaved textiles. Although little is known about its origins, it is generally regarded that techniques in weaving Chinaba hana-ori were established and widely practised by the late 19th century. The textile was officially recognized as a prefecturally designated traditional craft on March 12th, 2010, and as a nationally designated traditional craft two years later on July 25th, 2012.