{"product_id":"a-narrow-length-of-bashofu-precious-banana-fiber-cloth","title":"A Narrow Length of Bashofu: Precious Banana Fiber Cloth","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003elate nineteenth, early twentieth century\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e22\" x 8 3\/4\", 56 cm x 22 cm\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBashofu\u003c\/em\u003e, or cloth woven from the fibers obtained from the leaf stems of the “thread banana” plant (\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eito basho\u003c\/em\u003e) is synonymous with the Okinawan Islands where it was produced for at least 500 years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFrom the essay, “\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBashofu\u003c\/em\u003e, The Mingei Movement, and the Creation of a New Okinawa” by Amanda Mayer Stinchecum published in the exhibition catalog\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e“Material Choices: Refashioning Bast and Leaf Fibers in Asia and the Pacific“: “The first written evidence of\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ebashofu\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ein the Ryukyu Islands appears in an eyewitness account, dated 1546, reported by Pak Son and eleven other shipwrecked Koreans from Cheju Island.  Reaching Ryukyu in 1542, they returned to Korean four years later.  Their report includes descriptions of clothing, agriculture, and the cultivation of banana plants for making cloth:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe larger trees are the size of a house pillar.  These are harvested, and the outermost skin stripped off. The sheaths inside are sorted into three grades.  The fineness or coarseness of the finished cloth depends on whether the fiber is taken from the outer or inner layers.  The innermost layer yields the thinnest and most lustrous fiber, and the color is as pure as snow.  It is incomparable.  Women’s clothing of high quality is made from this.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(ikeya et al. 2005, 1:121)”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBashofu\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis still very much appreciated all over the globe for its beauty and its depth of character.  It is one of Japan’s most precious and esteemed textiles–it is difficult to convey the high admiration the Japanese hold for\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ebashofu\u003c\/em\u003e.  Rare and  historical examples are often prohibitively expensive–should they be brought to market–which is rare.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThis is a narrow piece of striped\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ebashofu\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eand it is a nice example of a commonly woven type. It has darkened with age and wear. It was probably taken from the collar areas of a commoner's kimono and it was worn hard. It is in quite heavily used condition with some surface patina, a tiny dot of a stain, ingrained creases and some loss along the creases and two splits to the surface of the cloth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eRecommended.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sri","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44842897539150,"sku":"sdu1794065945937","price":55.25,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0739\/2935\/9438\/files\/a-narrow-length-of-bashofu-precious-banana-fiber-cloth_1.jpg?v=1794065950","url":"https:\/\/modalsoftfit.shop\/products\/a-narrow-length-of-bashofu-precious-banana-fiber-cloth","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}