Introducing Charms of Bashofu: OIST Fabric-Dyeing Club is to Publish a Leaflet

To disseminate charms of Bashofu (Okinawan traditional fabric), Okinawa Traditional Craft and Fabric-Dyeing Club in OIST has been working on preparing a leaflet on history, technology, and function of Okinawa traditional Bashofu fabric.  The club members are going to distribute the leaflets at various exhibitions and schools to disseminate charms of Bashofu.  The members are also calling for funds for preparing the leaflets.

Donation Sought through Cloud Funding

In 2017, Dr. Yoko Nomura, a researcher at OIST published a paper on Bashofu.  Through her research work and activities at Okinawa Traditional Craft and Fabric-Dyeing Club, she observed indifference of Okinawan people on Bashofu, and had a sense of crisis that Bashofu might fade away in this current trend.  That is how she came up with the idea of producing a leaflet on Bashofu.

The club is involved in activities at creating traditional craftwork collaborating with Yomitanzan Hanaori.  Hitomi Shinzato (35), a secretary of the club visited Toshiko Taira, living national treasure who is a master creator of Bashofu, an important intangible cultural heritage, and Mieko Taira, the director of Kijyoka Bashofu Cooperative.  Shinzato passionately commented, “I was overwhelmed as I learned about as many as 23 fabrication procedures along with the Bashofu history, which I hope could be known to people of Okinawa.”

2000 copies of leaflet are planned to be printed initially, which will be distributed at the OIST exhibition titled, “Science of Bashofu” from August 27 to September 22 at Tunnel Gallery.  The target amount for fundraising is 500,000 yen, which will be listed on the website, FAAVO.  The deadline for donation is the July 31.  For more details, please contact, Okinawa.dento.orimono@gmail.com