Yonaguni Island is a border island located at the westernmost point of Japan. The history of weaving on this island is ancient, and it is believed to date back approximately 500 years based on old documents.
It is believed that this was already being offered as tribute in the first half of the 16th century. After the war, when thread was difficult to obtain, people would unravel fishing nets and weave cloth.

• Technology/techniques/raw materials

  Technology/techniques/raw materials

  Technology/techniques

  1. In the case of Yonaguni Dutati, the striped fabric shall be woven using the following techniques or methods:
  (1) The fabric shall be plain weave with pre-dyed yarn.
  (2) A hand-thrown shuttle is used to insert the weft threads.
  (3) When using ikat yarn, the dyeing method for the ikat yarn shall be "hand-tying".

  2. In the case of Yonaguni Hanaori, the patterned fabric shall be woven using the following techniques or methods:
  (1) The fabric shall be plain weave with pre-dyed yarn.
  (2) A hand-thrown shuttle is used to insert the weft threads.
  (3) The crest shall be represented using "flower heddle".
  (4) When using ikat yarn, the dyeing method for the ikat yarn shall be "hand-tying".

  3. In the case of Yonaguni Kagannubu, the ikat fabric shall be woven using the following techniques or methods:
  (1) The fabric shall be pre-dyed and ribbed.
  (2) A hand-thrown shuttle or a board shuttle shall be used to insert the weft threads.
  (3) The dyeing method for the ikat threads shall be by "hand-tying".

  4. In the case of Yonaguni Shidadi, the patterned fabric shall be woven using the following techniques or methods:
  (1) It shall be a plain weave fabric dyed in advance.
  (2) A hand-thrown shuttle is used to insert the weft threads.
  (3) The crest shall be represented using "flower heddle."

   

  raw materials

  The threads used must be silk, cotton, hemp, or banana fiber.

• Work scene

  Work scene

  YONAGUNI Ori (Textiles) includes plain weaves such as dutati and kagannubu, and sidati, which incorporates dyed weft threads. Here, we will look at the process of Yonaguni hanaori (flower weaving). Hanaori is a type of patterned weaving in which small flower patterns stand out. Red and yellow flower threads are woven into a checkered plain weave. It is not a division of labor; one person handles the process from design to weaving.

  Step 1: Design

  The design is drawn on graph paper. The basic floral patterns are Dachinbana, which depicts a flower with eight small square dots; Ichichinbana, which has five dots; and Duchinbana, which has four dots. Arranging these within a grid pattern is a design characteristic of Yonaguni.

  Step 2: Kasuri tying

  Stretch the silk thread horizontally and tie off the parts you don't want to dye with cotton thread. Cotton absorbs moisture and becomes tighter, making it harder for the dye to penetrate.

  工程3： 染色

  The dyes are mainly derived from plants that grow naturally on the island. They use plants such as the yellow-dyed fugu (Fukugi), the brown tiguti (Sharinbai), the beige and black kasagi (Akamegashiwa), and Indian indigo. Mud dyeing is also practiced.

  

  Step 4: Winding the yarn

  To make the thread easier to use, the skein is wound onto a bobbin.

  工程5： 整経

  This is the process of adjusting the weaving width and the length of the garment. The number and length of the warp threads are aligned.

  

  Step 6: Threading with a temporary reed

  The warped threads are passed through the reed to the desired width. The upper and lower threads are paired together and passed through the holes of the reed.

  Step 7: Vertical winding

  Pull and straighten the thread that has passed through the reed, then begin winding it. Take care to ensure that the tension is even.

  

  Step 8: Threading the heddles

  Remove the reed and thread it through the heddles. Thread the threads one by one, separating them into front and back. This ensures the weft threads are neatly positioned between the warp threads.

  

  Step 9: Attaching the heddles

  The thread is passed through the heddle. This is where the pattern of the floral weave is determined.

  Process 10: Weaving

  The weaving process involves raising and lowering the heddles. Typically, one bolt of fabric is woven in one to two months.

  

   

• Close-up

  Close-up

  YONAGUNI Ori (Textiles) continues to thrive in daily life.

  Yonaguni Island, with a circumference of 27 kilometers, is located at Japan's westernmost point and offers views of Taiwan on clear days. On this island, where it is customary to give spools of thread to celebrate women's 88th birthdays, unique textiles are created in a relaxed atmosphere.

   

  Thirty women weaving fabrics in their own unique styles.

  YONAGUNI Ori (Textiles) is a collective term for Yonaguni Hanaori, Dutati, Shidati, and Kagannubu. I learned about each of these fabrics, whose names sound almost like foreign languages, from Tokumi Sakimoto. Ms. Sakimoto is the granddaughter of Masa Tokuyoshi, who revived the island's declining weaving tradition. After spending two years at the prefectural craft guidance center on Okinawa Island and three years learning RYUKYU Kasuri (Ikat) in Haebaru Town, also on the main island, she returned to Yonaguni. Currently, 30 women are engaged in dyeing and weaving on the island. Led by Ms. Sakimoto, young women in their late 20s and 30s are also actively involved. Each person is responsible for everything from design to dyeing and weaving, working at their own pace.

  The colors of the flowers woven into the fabric come from Taiwan.

  The most widely woven textile is Yonaguni Hanaori. A representative pattern features red and yellow "flowers" within a black and white checkered pattern. The flowers are made up of small square dots, arranged like the five dots on a die or in a diamond shape. Depending on the number of dots, they are called Dachinbana (8 dots), Ichichinbana (5 dots), and Duchinbana (4 dots).
  White and black are traditional colors on the island, but "red and yellow came from travel," says Sakimoto. "Travel" here refers to going outside the island. It all started when someone who had been to Taiwan brought back a sash, and they unraveled it and wove red and yellow threads into it. Taiwan is much closer than both mainland Japan and Okinawa Island. The relationship has been deep for a long time, and most people over 70 have experience going to Taiwan for work or study.
  The floral weave, with its red and yellow flowers accented by black, had a delicate yet refined feel.

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    Combining flowers and stripes creates a variety of patterns.

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    A design book filled with traditional patterns

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    I keep a record of the fabric I weave. This is a flower weave.

  Dutati has been loved by everyone on the island

  In Okinawa's textile-producing regions, it's rare to see locals wearing the textiles themselves, as most are sold on the mainland. However, "Dutati" is one type of garment where over 90% is consumed locally. It's a black, white, and blue checkered kimono woven from ramie yarn and cotton. Originally, it was work clothes worn by farmers. There is no distinction between men's and women's garments, and it has a black collar and straight sleeves. The length only reaches to the calves. It's an economical garment because two can be made from one bolt of fabric.
  The most common type, "Gobandutati," is gingham check. "I often get asked if this is a trendy pattern, and it's frustrating. It's actually a traditional pattern from Yonaguni," says Sakimoto.
  During the harvest festival in the sixth month of the lunar calendar, everyone on the island wears this garment. Baby sizes are also available, and many people buy them for their grandchildren who live far away.
  Dutati wears a narrow cotton sash called a "kagannubu." In other parts of Okinawa, this narrow cotton sash, which has a ikat pattern, is called a "minsaa."

  

  Tokumi Sakimoto in the guise of Dutati and Kagannebu

  Sidati weaving while praying for a safe journey.

  The last item, "Shidati," is a type of hand towel called "Tisaji" on Okinawa Island. It is made of white cotton with seven colored threads woven into it. It was given as a gift to pray for the safe journey of someone, and even today, when someone dies, it is used as a headband and placed in the coffin. If the deceased was a woman, it is tied more beautifully.
  When asked about the appeal of weaving, Ms. Sakimoto said, "I love the weaving process. It's fun to see it come together into a finished fabric." Currently, she uses silk, cotton, and ramie, but she shared her aspirations, saying, "I'd like to try using other materials found on the island. Some have been tried in the past, such as the cocoons of the Atlas moth (a natural monument moth) and agave, but I want to find something new."

   

  

  Sidati. The mat underneath is Gobandutati.

  Craftsman Profile

  ​Satomi Sakimoto

  Born in 1967. After studying dyeing and weaving techniques from various parts of Okinawa at the prefectural craft guidance center, she began working on YONAGUNI Ori (Textiles).

  Anecdotes

  We only use plants that are good for your health.

  YONAGUNI Ori (Textiles) uses plants native to the island as dyes. These include the yellow of the Fukugi tree, the brown of the Rhaphiolepis indica tree, the beige and black of the Japanese red oak, and Indian indigo. Sometimes, the entire branch of the hibiscus is used to produce a light green color.
  Even when using the same plants as on other islands, they take on the unique colors of this land. For example, the Rhaphiolepis indica, which is brown on Okinawa Island, takes on a pinkish hue here.
  "I think it might be because of the water. The water here has a lot of calcium in it," says Sakimoto.
  Since she does both dyeing and weaving herself, she finds the dyeing materials herself from around the island. Because each person uses different methods and dyeing techniques, the resulting colors are never exactly the same.
  "We only use plants and trees that are readily available and safe to eat. We want to ensure that it's harmless to both the person boiling the fabric and the person wearing the garment." Banyan tree leaves are safe because goats happily eat them. YONAGUNI Ori (Textiles) are made by kind people who think this way.

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    Sakimoto-san dyes the fabric. It smells wonderful, like red beans being cooked.