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==Modern History==
==Modern History==
The production and consumption of Okinawan textiles saw a major shift after the Japanese government's ''[[kyukan onzon|kyûkan onzon]]'' (preserving old customs) policy was ended in [[1903]], along with the traditional poll tax, and assimilation policies began to be put into place. Whereas the poll tax had previously been paid in handmade textiles, commercial production and sale now began to dominate. Assimilationist rhetoric promoted the wearing of Japanese-style [[kimono]] as part of "modern" "Japanese" ideas of how to be a proper modern woman, and a good wife and mother. Even as synthetic dyes, machine-spun yarn, and new types of looms came to dominate, Okinawan textiles nevertheless became a luxury export good, purchased by Japanese on the mainland as an exotic and special good while Okinawans found it cheaper to buy Japanese material for their clothing; by the 1920s or '30s, some 80-90% of textiles produced in Okinawa prefecture were exported.<ref>Nitta Setsuko, "Oppression of and Admiration for Okinawan Textiles: Commercial Items and Art Objects," Okinawan Art in its Regional Context symposium, University of East Anglia, Norwich, 10 Oct 2019.</ref>
The production and consumption of Okinawan textiles saw a major shift after the Japanese government's ''[[kyukan onzon|kyûkan onzon]]'' (preserving old customs) policy was ended in [[1903]], along with the traditional poll tax, and assimilation policies began to be put into place. Whereas the poll tax had previously been paid in handmade textiles, commercial production and sale now began to dominate. Assimilationist rhetoric promoted the wearing of Japanese-style [[kimono]] as part of "modern" "Japanese" ideas of how to be a proper modern woman, and a good wife and mother. Even as synthetic dyes, machine-spun yarn, and new types of looms came to dominate, Okinawan textiles nevertheless became a luxury export good, purchased by Japanese on the mainland as an exotic and special good while Okinawans found it cheaper to buy Japanese material for their clothing; by the 1920s or '30s, some 80-90% of textiles produced in Okinawa prefecture were exported.<ref>Nitta Setsuko, "Oppression of and Admiration for Okinawan Textiles: Commercial Items and Art Objects," Okinawan Art in its Regional Context symposium, University of East Anglia, Norwich, 10 Oct 2019.</ref>
While ''kasuri'' and other materials began to be produced commercially, however, ''bashôfu'' continues to be made only by hand. Banana fiber thread and cloth cannot be effectively produced by machine; even the use of a basic tabletop sewing machine tears through the material, ruining it.<ref>Francesco Montuori, "Okinawa Bashofu and Repackaging After Japanese Annexation," talk given at Okinawan Art in its Regional Context: Historical Overview and Contemporary Practice symposium, University of East Anglia, Norwich, 10 Oct 2019.</ref>
==References==
==References==
