Bashofu Noren with Kasuri

This small and delicate noren from Okinawa is woven from banana fiber, known as bashofu in Japan. Bashofu is a light, stiff cloth perfectly suited for wearing in a hot climate. It was a specialty of the island and used for summer kimono and household textiles such as this noren decorated with three ikat swifts flying gracefully up the noren. Noren are hung in doorways as a curtain, this small example has a more decorative than practical function.