Ojiya-Chijimi & Echigo-Jofu: Ramie Weaving in Uonuma

The high-quality, lightweight patterned textiles made from the ramie plant are ideal for the hot and humid Japanese summer. Ojiya-chijimi and Echigo-jofu, techniques of making ramie fabric in the Uonuma region of Niigata Prefecture, developed in the northwestern part of Japan’s main island and reflect the influence of the region’s cooler climate—particularly its snowy winters.

Ramie fibers are split from the plant by fingernail and twisted into threads by hand. In tie-dyeing, bundles of ramie threads are bound tightly with cotton before dyeing to create geometric or floral patterns when woven into fabric using a simple back-strap loom. The cloth is then washed in hot water and massaged with the feet. Afterward, the wet fabric is spread across snow-covered fields for ten to twenty days, where the sun and ozone from the melting snow help to naturally lighten the material.

Clothes produced by this method have been popular among people of various social classes for centuries. Today, the craft is mainly practiced by older artisans, yet it remains a strong symbol of cultural pride and continues to reinforce a sense of identity within the community.