Yaeyama Minsaa Weaving Okinawa Prefecture Cooperative Union Taketomi-cho Textile Association 435 Aza Taketomi, Taketomi-cho, Yaeyama-gun, Okinawa Prefecture tel 09808-5-2302 Ishigaki Textile Association 783-2 Aza Tonoshiro, Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture tel 098-082-5200 Background There are records confirming that a cotton cloth or minsaa which had originated in Afghanistan and had been brought to the Ryukyus from China was in use at the beginning of the 16th century at the Ryukyu court. It seems fairly certain, therefore, that minsaa was already being woven in the Yaeyama area about this time. The name minsaa is derived from min meaning cotton and saa meaning narrow band. In the past, a woman would give a minsaa to a man she loved, the four or five patterns woven into the cloth being a sign of unfailing affection. Both warp and weft threads are cotton and the ikat threads are tied by hand. The dyestuff is usually indigo producing a sea-blue like background on which the pattern is picked out in white in beautiful contrast. The main products are obi sashes for men and women and ties. With 3 government recognized Master Craftsmen leading the work, there are now 241 employed by 162 firms.