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Fabric of Echigo, Japan From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Echigo-jofu (越後上布) is a fabric of Echigo, Japan on national Important Cultural Properties listing in 1955,[1][2] and UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list since 2009.[3] It is made from fine bast fiber from the ramie plant (Boehmeria nivea), also called hemp, although not directly related to cannabis hemp.[lower-alpha 1] After it is woven on a jibata backstrap loom (地機), the fabric is spread on snowfields (yuki-zarashi) where ultraviolet light from the sun creates ozone and bleaches it white.[5][6] Echigo-jofu has even been found in the Shōsōin repository from over 1,200 years ago.[7] The production of Echigo-jofu is recorded in detail in the encyclopedic work of human geography describing life in the Uonuma area, Hokuetsu Seppu[8]
In the early 2000s, about 34 bolts were produced a year. It is now currently estimated at about 10 bolts a year.[9]
The fabric is used to make summer kimono and other traditional garments, cushions and bed linens.[10]
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