Chibana hanaori (知花花織) is a flower weave from Chibana and neighbouring villages in today’s Okinawa City, in the centre of the Main Island. Its patterns float in vertical lines along the warp, unlike most Okinawan hanaori, and because it was woven for village festivals rather than as tribute to the royal court, its designs are freer and more playful. Revived from 2000 and designated a national Traditional Craft in 2012, it is made entirely in Okinawa City.
This page is part of our guide to Ryukyuan textiles, which compares all of Okinawa’s woven and dyed crafts.
Chibana Hanaori at a Glance
| Japanese | 知花花織 (Chibana hanaori) |
| Techniques | Warp-float hanaori (経浮花織, tate-uki hanaori) and embroidery-like inlaid hanaori (縫取花織, nuitori hanaori) |
| Materials | Mainly cotton, also silk, bashō and wool; dyes include Ryukyu indigo, yamamomo (bayberry), gūru (sarutori-ibara) and loquat |
| Made in | Okinawa City (former Misato Village) |
| Designations | Okinawa Prefecture traditional craft product (2010); national Traditional Craft, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (25 July 2012) |
| Cooperative | Chibana Hanaori Business Cooperative (知花花織事業協同組合), founded 2008 |
Festival Cloth of Old Misato
Chibana hanaori was woven in villages of the old Misato Village, such as Chibana, Noborikawa and Ikehara. Misato merged with Koza in 1974 to form today’s Okinawa City. The cooperative explains that Chibana sits in the middle of the Main Island and was a crossroads on the routes to Shuri, which helped hanaori techniques reach the area.
The cloth was made for two festivals held at the time of the mid-autumn moon:
- Usudēku (臼太鼓), the women’s festival on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, with dances praying for a good harvest. Women wore Chibana hanaori as their festival dress.
- Umaharashī (馬乗り競争, nmaharashī), the men’s horse-riding contest on the 14th day of the eighth lunar month, held at the Chibana bentō-baba race track.
The cooperative also mentions costumes for local theatre. Sources differ slightly on its age: the cooperative traces it to the 18th century, while the prefecture says only that the techniques were established by the second half of the 19th century.
Did you know? Unlike many Okinawan textiles, Chibana hanaori was never tribute cloth. The prefecture notes it was woven for the family’s own use, which is why its designs are so free and individual.
What Makes It Different
Most Okinawan hanaori raises its motifs with weft floats. Chibana hanaori is a warp-float weave, so its patterns run in continuous vertical lines. The cooperative describes two techniques:
- Tate-uki hanaori (経浮花織): pattern threads float along the warp, forming vertical lines of motifs.
- Nuitori hanaori (縫取花織): the weaver picks up a few warp threads and inlays coloured pattern thread by hand, giving an embroidered look.
The traditional style is cotton dyed navy with Ryukyu indigo, combined with kasuri or check patterns, and red and white raised motifs that stand out almost three-dimensionally. Today the weavers also make brighter pieces in silk dyed with natural dyes and in processed yarns.
Revival
Chibana hanaori had almost disappeared when Okinawa City took the lead in reviving it. The city opened a restoration workshop in 2000, set up basic training, and formed a research group in December 2000. As the number of weavers grew, the cooperative was founded in 2008. The prefecture designated the cloth a traditional craft product in 2010, the national designation followed on 25 July 2012, and Chibana hanaori was registered as a regional collective trademark in 2017. The cooperative now weaves Usudēku costumes for the festival again, as well as kimono cloth, obi, accessories and fabric for kariyushi shirts.
Visiting the Cooperative
The Chibana Hanaori Business Cooperative is based in Chibana, Okinawa City.
- Address: 5-6-7 Chibana, Okinawa City (沖縄市知花5丁目6番7号)
- Hours: 9:00–17:00
- Closed: Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. Phone: 098-921-1187
- Getting there: about a five-minute walk from the Chibana bus stop (Ryukyu Bus route 90 from Naha Bus Terminal), or about 10 minutes by car from Okinawa-Minami Interchange on the Okinawa Expressway.
The cooperative also runs an online shop. Combine a visit with other sights in Central Okinawa.
Practical details in this section last checked: Oct 2026.
How to Tell Authentic Chibana Hanaori
The cooperative carries out joint inspection of its members’ products, and Chibana hanaori is a registered regional brand. As a designated Traditional Craft, inspected pieces can carry the national Traditional Craft label (伝統証紙). Buying from the cooperative or its online shop is the surest way to get the real thing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Chibana hanaori?
Chibana hanaori is a flower weave from Okinawa City, traditionally woven as festival dress. Its motifs float along the warp in vertical lines. It became a national Traditional Craft in 2012.
How is Chibana hanaori different from other hanaori?
Most Okinawan hanaori uses weft floats, but Chibana hanaori uses warp floats (tate-uki hanaori) and an inlaid technique (nuitori hanaori). It was woven for home use rather than tribute, so its designs are freer.
Where can I see Chibana hanaori?
At the Chibana Hanaori Business Cooperative, 5-6-7 Chibana, Okinawa City, open 9:00–17:00 on weekdays. It is closed on weekends and public holidays.
What festivals is Chibana hanaori worn for?
It was made as festival dress for Usudēku, the women’s harvest dance on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, and for Umaharashī, the men’s horse-riding contest on the 14th.
Sources & Further Reading
Facts on this page were checked against these sources. Most are official Japanese-language pages from the prefecture, the Agency for Cultural Affairs, producers’ cooperatives and museums.
Official and cooperative sources
- Chibana Hanaori Business Cooperative (official site) (Japanese)
- Okinawa Kōgei no Mori: Chibana Hanaori (prefectural craft centre, Japanese)
- Okinawa Kōgei no Mori: Chibana Hanaori Business Cooperative (history, access) (prefectural craft centre, Japanese)
- Okinawa Prefecture: Overview of craft industry policy, FY2024 (production-area profiles) (official, Japanese)
Image credits
No photos are used on this page yet. We only use photos with a clear, commercially usable licence, and found none we could verify for this textile.