Women's Kimonos

Bashôfu, or bashâ in Okinawan, is a crisp, light, semi-transparent brown cloth made from threads taken from the inside layers of wild banana stalk. In the days of the Kingdom of Okinawa, this thread was reserved for making special garments worn by the elite class. However, during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when Satsuma invaders confiscated most of Okinawa's delicate ramie fabric production, bashôfu began to be used for the everyday cloth worn by commoners as well. The kimono on the left is reminiscent of the classic shape of Okinawan garments dating from the turn of the century, with narrow sleeves and a rather wide body. Its lustrous ground is patterned with simple vertical stripes made by the hand tie-dyed kasuri technique, using natural brown dye. The other piece, constructed in the standard Japanese kimono style, is decorated through stenciling with familiar Okinawan kasuri patterns, such as undulating cloud motifs and three diagonally aligned circles.