Asa Textiles: Natural Bast Fiber

Asa is a general term used to refer to cloth woven from bast fiber such as ramie, hemp, linden, wisteria, nettle, kudzu, etc. Asa is akin to linen.  We offer mainly hemp and ramie examples, often hand plied and hand woven, as they were the most common asa fibers woven in Japan.
A Length of Rare Okuso Cloth: Rural Woven Hemp Fiber Waste

A Length of Rare Okuso Cloth: Rural Woven Hemp Fiber Waste

early twentieth century33" x 12 1/2", 81.5 cm x 32 cm For... (more)

A Bolt of Hemp Mosquito Netting: Rural North Eastern Japan

A Bolt of Hemp Mosquito Netting: Rural North Eastern Japan

early twentieth century7 3/4 yards x 12", 7 m x 30.5 cm  ... (more)

A Fragment of Precious Bashofu: Prized Banana Fiber Cloth from Okinawa

A Fragment of Precious Bashofu: Prized Banana Fiber Cloth from Okinawa

late nineteenth, early twentieth century19 1/2" x 13", 49... (more)

A Beautiful Length of Precious Bashofu: Banana Fiber Cloth from Okinawa

A Beautiful Length of Precious Bashofu: Banana Fiber Cloth from Okinawa

late nineteenth, early twentieth century21 1/2" x 12 1/2"... (more)

A Fragment of Bashofu: Precious Banana Fiber from Okinawa

A Fragment of Bashofu: Precious Banana Fiber from Okinawa

late nineteenth, early twentieth century21 1/2" x 12 1/2"... (more)

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