[Yamato Co., Ltd.] "Minsah Obi Month" to Promote Traditional Okinawan Yaeyama Weaving "Minsah Obi"

Kimono specialty store Yamato Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Takayuki Yajima) will designate May 2026 as "Minsah Obi Month" and implement various initiatives to widely convey the charm of "Minsah Obi," a traditional textile woven in the Yaeyama Islands of Okinawa Prefecture.

During the period, coinciding with "Minsah Day" on May 4th, we will hold "Sanchi Fes," an event where creators from production areas (sanchi) meet visitors and experience the background of craftsmanship. We will also hold the "Minsah Obi Contest," which will exhibit obis woven by creators from the Yaeyama Islands and award prizes based on visitor votes.

In 2026, the event will be held at the Yamato Co., Ltd. Head Office Building in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, welcoming creators from the production areas. We will provide an opportunity for visitors to directly interact with the creators, making it an event where they can feel the charm of Japanese craftsmanship up close.

This project is co-organized with the Kimono no Mori Foundation. By combining Yamato's established relationships with production areas and the foundation's activities aimed at inheriting and developing kimono culture, we aim to widely convey the charm of Minsah Obi, a traditional Okinawan textile, and pass on the techniques and aspirations of the production areas and creators to the next generation.

About Minsah Obi Month

Minsah is a traditional textile woven in the Yaeyama Islands of Okinawa Prefecture.

The five and four kasuri patterns woven into the obi contain the wish:
"Forever, until the fifth (itsu) and fourth (yo) generations, may you be happily together."
It is also known as the "fabric of love."

In the Yaeyama Islands, located approximately 400 km from Okinawa Main Island, particularly on Ishigaki Island, Taketomi Island, and Iriomote Island, cotton threads dyed with natural dyes made from plants native to the islands are still hand-woven one by one.

Yamato Co., Ltd. holds "Minsah Obi Month" in conjunction with "Minsah Day" on May 4th to convey the charm of these traditional textiles to as many people as possible.

During this period, we will disseminate the charm of kimono and the value of Japanese handcrafts through projects that allow visitors to experience the craftsmanship and cultural background of the production areas.

"Sanchi Fes" Held

― An event to meet creators and learn about craftsmanship ―

"Sanchi Fes" is an event where visitors can meet creators from kimono production areas (sanchi) across Japan and experience the charm of craftsmanship.

At the venue, we will invite creators from production areas that visitors expressed a desire to know more about in a survey, and we will hold exhibitions of their works and introductions to their craftsmanship.

We aim to create a place where not only Minsah creators but also kimono creators from various parts of Japan gather, connecting people with high interest in handcrafts, those interested in kimono, those who love dyeing and weaving, and those who enjoy kimono, through "kimono and craftsmanship."

Based on the relationships that the Kimono no Mori Foundation and Yamato Co., Ltd. have built with production areas, we will create opportunities for creators and consumers to meet directly, thereby passing on the charm of Japanese craftsmanship to the future.

Minsah Obi Contest

― The future of Minsah connected through visitor votes ―

The "Minsah Obi Contest" is a project that exhibits Minsah Obis woven by creators from the Yaeyama Islands and awards prizes to works based on visitor votes.

Visitors can choose their favorite work from the exhibited obis and cast their vote.
Works will be awarded prizes based on the number of votes received, and the results will be announced at a later date.

At the venue, colorful Minsah Obis woven in Yaeyama will be exhibited, and visitors can hear directly from the creators.

This contest has been held since 2013 and is implemented as an initiative to widely convey the charm of Minsah Obi, a traditional Okinawan textile, and to pass on the techniques and aspirations of the creators to the future.

Event Outline

■Minsah Obi Month
Period: May 2026

■Sanchi Fes / Minsah Obi Contest
Dates: May 2nd (Sat) - May 4th (Mon/Holiday), 2026
Time: 10:00 - 18:00 (until 16:00 on the last day)

Venue: Yamato Co., Ltd. Head Office Building 10F
5-27-3 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0051

Admission: Free

Access

https://www.kimono-yamato.co.jp/about-us/access/
Co-organizers: Kimono no Mori Foundation / Yamato Co., Ltd.

Supported by: Taketomi Town

■Kimono no Mori Foundation

The Kimono no Mori Foundation is a foundation established with the aim of connecting Japan's kimono culture and dyeing and weaving culture to the future. While supporting people and production areas involved in kimono and dyeing and weaving, it conducts activities that lead to the inheritance of culture and the creation of new value. In this event, together with Yamato Co., Ltd., it is working to convey the charm of production areas and creators across Japan.

Official Site https://kimononomori.com/

■Yamato Co., Ltd.

Yamato Co., Ltd. is a kimono specialty store founded in 1917.
Under the philosophy of "Co-creation - with customers, production areas, and society -" and with the vision of "creating an exciting world with kimono," we continue to update kimono and Japanese culture together with various production areas and customers.

Through various initiatives, we propose new values for kimono culture.

■Corporate Site: https://www.kimono-yamato.co.jp/

■Instagram: @yamato_kimonodreammakers