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 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 Fragment of Precious Bashofu: Plain Banana Fiber Cloth

A Fragment of Precious Bashofu: Plain Banana Fiber Cloth

late nineteenth, early twentieth century22 1/2" x 11 3/4"... (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)

A Horn Bag or Tsunobukuro: Green Persimmon Dyed Bast Fiber

A Horn Bag or Tsunobukuro: Green Persimmon Dyed Bast Fiber

early twentieth century51" x 13", 129.5 cm x 33 cm This i... (more)

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