textilesJuly 21, 2026

Miyako Jofu

Q: What is the origin of Miyako Jofu?

The Korean historical record Joseon Wangjo Sillok documents that hemp cloth was being woven on Miyako Island in 1479. According to tradition, a weaver named Inaishi Toji completed Miyako Jofu in the 16th century. In connection with a tribute voyage to Ming China in 1583, a ramie textile named Ayasabifu was presented to the Ryukyuan king, marking an early documented instance of the textile being formally recognized.

Miyako Jofu (宮古上布) is a high-grade ramie textile produced on Miyako Island in Miyako City, Okinawa Prefecture, designated as a Traditional Craft Product (Dentoteki Kogeihin) by METI on February 17, 1975, receiving designation number 11 among the first crafts to receive this recognition in Japan. It was further designated as a National Important Intangible Cultural Property in 1978. Described by the saying "Echigo in the east, Miyako in the west," it is considered one of Japan's two representative jofu textiles, with a single tan taking more than two months to weave. As part of the broader tradition of Japanese Woven Textiles, Miyako Jofu occupies a position of particular distinction within the ramie weaving arts.

History

The Korean historical record Joseon Wangjo Sillok contains a description stating that hemp cloth was being woven on Miyako Island as early as 1479, providing documentary evidence of the island's long weaving tradition. It is said that a weaver named Inaishi Toji completed Miyako Jofu in the 16th century. In 1583, a man named Moteagara boarded a tribute ship from the Ryukyu Kingdom to Ming China. Ryukyuan King Sho Ei rewarded Moteagara for saving the tribute ship by granting him the rank of head of Shimoji and appointing him as Sushikama Yunchu. In recognition of her husband's promotion, Inaishi presented the Ryukyuan king with a ramie textile named Ayasabifu. Following this presentation, Miyako Jofu was offered to the Ryukyu royal government for over twenty years. The Palace Museum in Beijing retains a bingata cotton cloth believed to originate from Miyako Island, reflecting the textile's reach into continental East Asia.

After the Satsuma Domain's invasion of the Ryukyu Kingdom in 1609, a per-capita tax (jintouzei) was institutionalized in the Sakishima Islands in 1637, requiring physical tax payment in the form of Miyako Jofu. To administer this system, the Ryukyu royal government established village offices and set up workshops called Bunmiya (meaning "thread-spinning house" in the Miyako dialect) in each village, selecting five or six skilled women to weave jofu as tribute. Miyako Jofu was subsequently sent by the Satsuma Domain to Edo and other parts of Japan under the name "Satsuma Jofu," becoming known throughout the country.

The per-capita tax in the Sakishima Islands was abolished in 1903, after which Miyako Jofu began to be produced as a commercial product for the wider Japanese market. During the Taisho era, high-loom techniques from Oshima-tsumugi weaving were introduced to Miyako Jofu production, and this period represented the highest technical achievement in the craft's history. Production was temporarily halted due to World War II but resumed in 1948. Post-war output peaked at 2,064 tan in 1952. By 2002, production had fallen to only 10 tan, though a partial recovery brought output to approximately 20 tan by 2006.

Techniques & Production Process

The main raw material of Miyako Jofu is thread made from the fibers found just beneath the bark of the stem of ramie (choma, also known as karamushi), a perennial plant of the family Urticaceae. The hand-spinning of this ramie thread, a technique known as Choma-ito Teuimi, was designated as a National Selected Conservation Technique in 2003, reflecting the exceptional skill required to prepare the fiber. During the Taisho era, high-loom techniques introduced from Honba Amami Oshima-tsumugi production further refined the weaving process. The labor intensity of the craft is reflected in the fact that a single tan of fabric takes more than two months to weave. Miyako Jofu shares its ramie fiber tradition with other regional jofu textiles, including Echigo Jofu from Niigata, Omi Jofu from Shiga, and Noto Jofu from Ishikawa, as well as the related Ojiya-chijimi ramie crepe. A closely related Okinawan ramie textile tradition is represented by Yaeyama Jofu.

How to Identify Miyako Jofu

A historically documented example of Miyako Jofu provides a benchmark for identifying the textile's characteristics. The Ayasabifu, presented to the Ryukyuan king in the 16th century, was a fine indigo-striped jofu (daimyo-jima kon-hosomi jofu) made from dyed ramie, measuring 11.4 meters in length and 40 centimeters in width, and classified as 19-yomi fine cloth. This combination of fine ramie fiber, indigo stripe patterning, and a high thread-count classification (yomi grade) represents the defining characteristics of the textile. Miyako Jofu is further distinguished by the exceptional fineness of its hand-spun ramie thread, a quality protected under the National Selected Conservation Technique designation for the Choma-ito Teuimi spinning method.

The Craft Today

Miyako Jofu continues to be produced on Miyako Island in Miyako City, Okinawa Prefecture. Production figures reflect the severe challenges facing the craft: output peaked at 2,064 tan in 1952, declined sharply to only 10 tan by 2002, and had partially recovered to approximately 20 tan by 2006. The craft holds multiple layers of official recognition, including its 1975 designation as a Traditional Craft Product (number 11), its 1978 designation as a National Important Intangible Cultural Property, and the 2003 designation of its Choma-ito Teuimi hand-spinning technique as a National Selected Conservation Technique. The craft can be examined at the Dentoukougei Aoyama Square in Tokyo (8-1-22 Akasaka, Minato-ku, 107-0052, 1st floor), which is operated by the General Incorporated Foundation for the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries and is open from 11:00 to 19:00 year-round, except for year-end and New Year holidays. Among Okinawa's other woven textile traditions represented in the national craft framework are Ryukyu Kasuri, Shuri-ori, Yomitanzan Hanaori, Yonaguni-ori, and Chihana Hanaori.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Miyako Jofu?

Miyako Jofu is a high-grade ramie textile woven from thread made from the fibers of the karamushi (ramie) plant, produced on Miyako Island in Miyako City, Okinawa Prefecture. It is considered the finest grade of jofu, and a single tan takes more than two months to weave.

When was Miyako Jofu designated as a Traditional Craft?

Miyako Jofu was designated as a Traditional Craft Product (Dentoteki Kogeihin) on February 17, 1975, receiving designation number 11, among the first crafts to receive this recognition in Japan.

What other official designations does Miyako Jofu hold?

In addition to its 1975 Traditional Craft Product designation, Miyako Jofu was designated as a National Important Intangible Cultural Property in 1978. In 2003, the hand-spinning technique used to produce its ramie thread, known as Choma-ito Teuimi, was designated as a National Selected Conservation Technique.

How has production of Miyako Jofu changed over time?

Post-war production peaked at 2,064 tan in 1952. Output then declined sharply, falling to only 10 tan by 2002. By 2006, production had partially recovered to approximately 20 tan.

What is the origin of Miyako Jofu?

The Korean historical record Joseon Wangjo Sillok documents that hemp cloth was being woven on Miyako Island in 1479. According to tradition, a weaver named Inaishi Toji completed Miyako Jofu in the 16th century. In connection with a tribute voyage to Ming China in 1583, a ramie textile named Ayasabifu was presented to the Ryukyuan king, marking an early documented instance of the textile being formally recognized.