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*''Jôfu'', or ramie, known as ''karamushi'' in Japanese, is said to be "prized for its strength, high luster, remarkable resistance to bacteria and mildew, [for being] absorben[t] yet quick-drying ..., and [for its] affinity to dyes."<ref>''Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion''. p419.</ref> With its name meaning literally "high [quality] cloth," ramie was worn chiefly by members of the royalty and the aristocracy. It was also among the chief forms of tribute goods sent to China and Japan, and an accepted form of tax payment collected by Okinawa from Miyako, the [[Yaeyama Islands]], and elsewhere.

*''Jôfu'', or ramie, known as ''karamushi'' in Japanese, is said to be "prized for its strength, high luster, remarkable resistance to bacteria and mildew, [for being] absorben[t] yet quick-drying ..., and [for its] affinity to dyes."<ref>''Encyclopedia of World Dress and Fashion''. p419.</ref> With its name meaning literally "high [quality] cloth," ramie was worn chiefly by members of the royalty and the aristocracy. It was also among the chief forms of tribute goods sent to China and Japan, and an accepted form of tax payment collected by Okinawa from Miyako, the [[Yaeyama Islands]], and elsewhere.

*Cotton, known as ''mumin'' in [[Okinawan language|Okinawan]], is not native to the Ryukyus, and it is believed that it only first began to be cultivated there in the 17th century, though cotton textiles obtained through trade with Southeast Asia or elsewhere were given as tribute goods in earlier centuries. Once introduced, cotton began to be used in garments and other goods for use by the aristocracy.

*Cotton, known as ''mumin'' in [[Okinawan language|Okinawan]], is not native to the Ryukyus, and it is believed that it only first began to be cultivated there in the 17th century, though cotton textiles obtained through trade with Southeast Asia or elsewhere were given as tribute goods in earlier centuries. Cotton never became widely cultivated in the Ryukyus, outside of [[Kumejima]], but once introduced, cotton garments began to be enjoyed by the royalty, aristocracy, and wealthy [[Naha]]/[[Shuri]] commoners.<ref>''Bingata! Only in Okinawa'', George Washington University Museum and the Textile Museum (2016), 74.</ref>

*Silk was introduced from China, and came to be cultivated in the Ryukyus. Silk was produced and used in both more standard woven forms, as well as handspun into a soft, fine "pongee" called ''tsumugi'' in Japanese. ''Tsumugi'' cloth is said to have a cottony texture, but the shine of silk. [[Kumejima]] in particular is known for its ''tsumugi'' cloth, which the islanders there dye a reddish color by immersing it in the naturally iron-rich mud of the island's rice paddies.

*Silk was introduced from China, and came to be cultivated in the Ryukyus. Silk was produced and used in both more standard woven forms, as well as handspun into a soft, fine "pongee" called ''tsumugi'' in Japanese. ''Tsumugi'' cloth is said to have a cottony texture, but the shine of silk. Kumejima in particular is known for its ''tsumugi'' cloth, which the islanders there dye a reddish color by immersing it in the naturally iron-rich mud of the island's rice paddies.

*''Bashôfu'' is made from the fibers of a plant closely related to, but different from, the edible fruiting banana. People of all ranks or classes in society wore ''bashôfu'' garments, though the peasants' ''bashôfu'' tended to be much coarser than that worn by the aristocracy. ''Bashôfu'' was divided into a number of types, including by whether the fibers had been twisted (''neri''), resulting in ''neri-bashôfu'', or not. Another variety was known as ''usu-bashôfu'', and was likely light in color, or thin in the material itself.<ref name=tomo150>''Shirarezaru Ryûkyû shisetsu'' 知られざる琉球使節, Fukuyama-shi Tomonoura rekishi minzoku shiryôkan (2006), 150.</ref>

*''Bashôfu'' is made from the fibers of a plant closely related to, but different from, the edible fruiting banana. People of all ranks or classes in society wore ''bashôfu'' garments, though the peasants' ''bashôfu'' tended to be much coarser than that worn by the aristocracy. ''Bashôfu'' was divided into a number of types, including by whether the fibers had been twisted (''neri''), resulting in ''neri-bashôfu'', or not. Another variety was known as ''usu-bashôfu'', and was likely light in color, or thin in the material itself.<ref name=tomo150>''Shirarezaru Ryûkyû shisetsu'' 知られざる琉球使節, Fukuyama-shi Tomonoura rekishi minzoku shiryôkan (2006), 150.</ref>