Up to now, what kind of threads made up "Omi-Takamiya-fu" and "Nara-zarashi" in the Edo period has long been a complete mystery. However, these mysteries are gradually being revealed by our long history of research.
We investigated richly dyed hemp garment, such as "Nara-zarashi", "Echigo-shiro-chijimi", the popular "Takamiya-jima" and "Shiro-Takamiya", examined whether they are made from hemp fiber or ramie fiber, and what type of threads are used. We presented the results of our research at Nara prefectural Museum of Folklore, the Higashi-Omi-city Notogawa Museum, and Aisho-cho historical cultural Museum. News papers regard our presentation very highly since we irradiated the fields of threads, which has been a mystery.
.
Asafu Institute offers exciting events such as organizing exhibitions and lectures at museums, the Cloth Workshop, the Traveling Workshop and Fiber Tests based on fiber research of Asafu & Jimpi cloth in the Meiji/Taisho period.

Moreover, "Joint research related to a scientific analysis of the "Omi-Takamiya-fu" with Aisho-cho historical cultural museum history and Shinshu University fiber faculty starts as a new project. This project is ceaselessly expected to promote the industry of Omi-Asafu, needless to say the importance for academic studies. We hope this research will contribute to develop daily goods by reproducing the cloth that has been passed on in the Omi-province(Shiga prefecture) and to show its beauty once again.

In addition, we are working on a DVD on commoners beauty and technique in the Edo period to the present day. It is a collaboration of music, movies and graphics which sees the cloth culture from a new aspect.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Asafu- a generic term of cloth made from the threads of either hemp, ramie or both.
Omi-takamiya-fu-a generic term of cloth produced in Omi (Shiga prefecture, now Hikone-city).
Takamiya is a post-town in Omi, and the collected cloth was distributed throughout Japan.
Nara-zarashi(Nara-sarashi)-Asafu made in Nara area. The cloth bleached by pounding in a motoar.
Sarashi-cloth or thread bleached in snow or seawater (depends on the area).
Echigo-shiro-chijimi-cloth produced in Echigo (Niigata prefecture). Both warp and weft are made from ramie spun threads to make this fine quality Echigo-chijimi.
Takamiya-jima-Check pattern of Takamiya-fu .
Shiro-takamiya-bleached Takamiya-fu which is very white and high quality.
Commoners-ordinary people in various parts of Japan