Weave　(p. 98 )

1. Produced in Nara City, Nara Prefecture.

2. Characteristics: Hemp fabric bleached in the sun.

3. Uses: Clothing, sashes, underwear, cloths used in temples and shrines, cloths used at tea ceremony, "Noren"(shop curtains).

4. History: Bleached cloth was once called "Bakufu" which was originated in the Nara Period(710-94). The bleached cloth was first produced in this area during1596-1615. The demand increased since1624-44, as the Shogunate designated it as a cloth to be used for formal wear. The material of "Nara Zarashi" is "Choma" or "Karamushi"(ramie, Boehmeria Nivea). All the "Choma" grown and reaped in other districts were imported and bleached here. No more hand spun "Choma" threads are used today. They were replaced by ramie threads and the amount of production had decreased.