Yomitanzan hanaori (読谷山花織) is a flower weave from Yomitan Village on Okinawa’s west coast, with tiny geometric motifs raised in coloured thread, often combined with kasuri. Its techniques are said to have arrived during the Ryukyu Kingdom’s age of trade with China and Southeast Asia. After vanishing so completely that it was called the “phantom hanaori”, it was revived in 1964, and its leading weaver became a Living National Treasure. Today it is made only in Yomitan, where you can see it and try weaving a coaster.
This page is part of our guide to Ryukyuan textiles, which compares all of Okinawa’s woven and dyed crafts.
Yomitanzan Hanaori at a Glance
| Japanese | 読谷山花織 (Yuntanza hanaui in Okinawan, Yomitanzan hanaori in Japanese) |
| Technique | Hanaori (flower weave): geometric motifs floated in coloured thread, often with kasuri inside |
| Materials | Cotton or silk; dyes include indigo, fukugi, techi (sharinbai) and gūru (sarutori-ibara) |
| Made in | Yomitan Village only |
| Designations | Okinawa Prefecture Intangible Cultural Property (1975); national Traditional Craft, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (1976). Yonamine Sada was certified a Living National Treasure in 1999. |
| Cooperative | Yomitanzan Hanaori Business Cooperative (読谷山花織事業協同組合), founded January 1976 |
History
An age of trade
Yomitan’s weavers link their cloth to the beginnings of Ryukyu’s trade. The cooperative tells the story of Taiki (泰期) of Uza in Yomitan, who in 1372 led the first Ryukyuan tribute mission to China. In the great age of trade that followed, kasuri and float-weave techniques arrived from China and Southeast Asia and developed in Yomitan into hanaori. The prefecture says the techniques came to Nagahama in Yomitan, then a base for southern trade, in the early 15th century, and that the lord Gosamaru of Yomitanzan turned the weaving into a household industry. Later it was protected by the royal government as official cloth.
Decline and the “phantom hanaori”
Yomitanzan hanaori declined from the end of the kingdom in the Meiji era, and after the Battle of Okinawa it was forgotten almost entirely. In 1964 a group of enthusiasts in Yomitan set out to revive it, running technical workshops that drew new weavers. A hanaori appreciation society was formed in 1969, and the prefecture dates the start of full-scale production to 1973.
The prefecture designated Yomitanzan hanaori an Intangible Cultural Property in 1975, the business cooperative was founded in January 1976, and the national Traditional Craft designation followed the same year. In 1981 the Yomitan Village Traditional Crafts Center was built as a base for hanaori and Yomitan pottery, and Yomitanzan hanaori became a registered regional brand in 2009.
Yonamine Sada, Living National Treasure
Yonamine Sada (與那嶺貞) played the central role in the revival. On 21 June 1999 she was certified as holder of the Important Intangible Cultural Property Yomitanzan Hanaori. Her certification ended when she died on 30 January 2003, and the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the prefecture now list no individual holder. At prefectural level, the technique is kept by the Yomitanzan Hanaori Preservation Society.
Did you know? Yomitanzan hanaori had been forgotten so thoroughly after the war that it was nicknamed the “phantom hanaori” (幻の花織). Its revival in 1964 started with a handful of volunteers in the village.
Motifs and Technique
Hanaori is a figured weave in which small geometric motifs are floated in coloured threads. In Yomitanzan hanaori, kasuri patterns are often set inside the floated motifs. It is woven as kimono cloth, obi and hand towels (手巾), and also as table runners and decorative cloths. The prefecture lists cotton or silk thread, dyed with natural dyes such as indigo, fukugi (Garcinia), techi (sharinbai) and gūru (sarutori-ibara).
Yomitan’s other designated textile, the narrow minsā belt, is woven alongside hanaori by the same cooperative. See our Yomitanzan minsā guide.
Visiting the Yomitan Traditional Crafts Center
The Yomitan Village Traditional Crafts Center (読谷村伝統工芸総合センター) in Zakimi is home to the cooperative. It displays and sells hanaori, including small items you can only buy there, and offers a hanaori coaster weaving experience by reservation.
- Address: 2974-2 Zakimi, Yomitan Village (読谷村字座喜味2974-2)
- Opening: daily except Sundays and 29 December–3 January. The village gives the hours as 8:30–17:00; check with the cooperative before you go, as it closes temporarily when typhoons approach.
- Phone: 098-958-4674. Groups should book ahead.
By bus, the cooperative gives about 90 minutes from Naha Airport on route 120, or from Naha Bus Terminal on routes 28 and 29. Yomitan is an easy day out in Central Okinawa.
Practical details in this section last checked: Oct 2026.
How to Tell Authentic Yomitanzan Hanaori
The cooperative attaches a set of quality labels to its products: the national Traditional Craft label (伝統証紙), the prefectural label, the textile inspection certificate (織物検査之証) and the cooperative’s own label (組合証紙). Yomitanzan hanaori is also a registered regional brand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Yomitanzan hanaori?
Yomitanzan hanaori is a flower weave from Yomitan Village, with small geometric motifs floated in coloured thread and often combined with kasuri. It was designated a national Traditional Craft in 1976.
Can I try hanaori weaving in Yomitan?
Yes. The Yomitan Village Traditional Crafts Center offers a hanaori coaster weaving experience by reservation. Contact the cooperative on 098-958-4674 to book.
Who revived Yomitanzan hanaori?
Volunteers in Yomitan began the revival in 1964. Yonamine Sada played the central role and was certified a Living National Treasure in 1999. She died in 2003.
How do I know Yomitanzan hanaori is genuine?
Look for the cooperative’s labels: the national Traditional Craft label, the prefectural label, the textile inspection certificate and the cooperative label.
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
- Okinawa Kōgei no Mori: Yomitanzan Hanaori and Yomitanzan Minsā (prefectural craft centre, Japanese)
- Okinawa Kōgei no Mori: Yomitanzan Hanaori Business Cooperative (history, labels, access) (prefectural craft centre, Japanese)
- Yomitan Village: Traditional Crafts Center (hours, experience) (official, Japanese)
- Yomitanzan Hanaori Business Cooperative: notices (closures, typhoons) (Japanese)
- Okinawa Prefecture: Overview of craft industry policy, FY2024 (production-area profiles and holder lists as of June 2024) (official, Japanese)
- Okinawa Prefecture: list of designated cultural properties and holders (2021) (PDF, 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.