Kariyushi shirt
Encyclopedia
The Kariyushi shirt is a style of dress shirt originating in Okinawa, similar to an aloha shirt
Aloha shirt
The Aloha shirt commonly referred to as a Hawaiian shirt is a style of dress shirt originating in Hawaii. It is currently the premier textile export of the Hawaii manufacturing industry. The shirts are printed, mostly short-sleeved, and collared. They usually have buttons, sometimes as a complete...

, mainly worn in summer. The shirts are printed, mostly short-sleeved, and collared. Kariyushi shirts may be worn as casual, informal wear, or as dresswear.

Basics

Traditional kariyushi shirts manufactured in Okinawa for local Okinawan residents are usually adorned with characteristic Okinawan designs found in traditional Okinawan arts, shisaa temple guardian designs, and simple floral patterns in muted colors. They are often used to promote tourism in Okinawa, and have been established in replacing the standard white shirt and tie for Okinawan office workers during the summer. In 2005, the Cool Biz campaign prompted members of the Okinawan cabinet, mostly in central government, to wear the shirt during work hours.

Kariyushi shirts were created based on the Aloha shirt, generally designed with short sleeves and an open collar. They usually have buttons, sometimes as a complete button-down shirt, and sometimes just down to the chest (pullover). Kariyushi shirts usually have a left chest pocket sewn in, often with attention to ensure the printed pattern remains continuous. Kariyushi shirts usually have a left chest pocket sewn in and are cut short so that they can hang comfortably outside the pants. Patterns on the shirt use motifs from scenery characteristic to Okinawa such as bitter melon
Bitter melon
Momordica charantia, called bitter melon or bitter gourd in English, is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean for its edible fruit, which is among the most bitter of all fruits...

s, hirami lemons, and Okinawan dragon boat
Dragon boat
A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft traditionally made, in the Pearl River delta region of southern China - Guangdong Province, of teak wood to various designs and sizes. In other parts of China different woods are used to build these traditional watercraft...

s.

The price of the shirts can vary from a few thousand yen for cheaper versions to several tens of thousands of yen for high-grade shirts made from musa basjoo
Musa basjoo
Musa basjoo, known variously as Japanese Banana, Japanese Fiber Banana or Hardy Banana, is a species belonging to the genus Musa. It was previously thought to have originated from the Ryukyu islands of Japan, from where it was first described in cultivation...

"Japanese fiber banana", similar to Hawaiian tapa cloth
Tapa cloth
Tapa cloth is a bark cloth made in the islands of the Pacific Ocean, primarily in Tonga, Samoa and Fiji, but as far afield as Niue, Cook Islands, Futuna, Solomon Islands, Java, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Hawaii...

.

History

Kariyushi shirts were first worn with the purpose of attracting tourists to Okinawa. Their inception began in 1970, when hotel association members started to wear them. Then the popularity of the shirts spread during the time of the second oil crisis
Oil crisis
Oil crisis may refer to:1970s*1970s energy crisis*1973 oil crisis*1979 energy crisisPost 1970s*Oil price increase of 1990*2000s energy crisis...

. At first, the shirts were limited to variations using motifs of traditional arts such as bingata
Bingata
Bingata is an Okinawan traditional resist dyed cloth, made using stencils and other methods. It is generally bright-colored and features various patterns, usually depicting natural subjects such as fish, water, and flowers...

 or Yaeyami minsa. Eventually, anyone related to the tourist trade such as hotel staff, travelers and tour guides began to wear them.

In 1990, the shirts became formally known as kariyushi, and their use was promoted on such days as "casual Friday
Casual Friday
Casual Friday along with dressing casually during the week became very prevalent during the Dot-com bubble of the late 1990s and early 2000s rooted in a relaxed California-based business culture...

". This resulted in their widespread use in places such as government offices, and in 2000 each head of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...

 wore one during the 26th G8 summit
26th G8 summit
The 26th G8 Summit was a political summit that took place in Nago, Okinawa, Japan, on July 21- July 23, 2000.-Overview:The Group of Seven was an unofficial forum which brought together the heads of the richest industrialized countries: France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United...

 held in Okinawa. During this time, variations in the shirt design appeared and the shirts became popular for use among government employees, bank workers and people in the general business sector. According to the Okinawa clothes sewing industry association, over 310,000 shirts were sold in 2004. Okinawa also holds a textile contest once every year, allowing contestants to design a kariyushi shirt.

Many variations of the shirt debuted from 2000. Shirts with longer sleeves were designed for ladies who were concerned with sunburn
Sunburn
A sunburn is a burn to living tissue, such as skin, which is produced by overexposure to ultraviolet radiation, commonly from the sun's rays. Usual mild symptoms in humans and other animals include red or reddish skin that is hot to the touch, general fatigue, and mild dizziness. An excess of UV...

, and formal designs made from black fabrics for ceremonial events were sold.

Increased popularity

Currently, wearing kariyushi shirts is promoted during the period of April to November. During this period, a large percentage of local government personnel wear the kariyushi shirt. In September 1999, the Okinawa parliamentary body gave permission for members to wear the shirt inside the parliamentary chambers. Many of these members currently wear the shirt and progress is being made for the local assembly to wear the shirts. Post office workers and Japan Transocean Air
Japan Transocean Air
, or JTA, is an airline based in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It operates domestic services. Its main base is Naha Airport.- History :...

 have their own characteristic shirt which they wear in the summer as part of their uniform. Even members at branch offices belonging to Okinawan companies located outside of Okinawa wear the shirt on "casual Friday".

In 2005, when the "Summer casual dress" idea was introduced mainly for the Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Yuriko Koike
Yuriko Koike
is a Japanese politician, who was the Minister of Defense in the Cabinet of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, but resigned August 27, 2007 after only 54 days in office...

, the environment minister, also took on the responsibility of minister for Okinawa and promoted the kariyushi shirt as part of the Cool Biz campaign. From June 1, the beginning of the promotion period, many of the staff who worked at the Okinawa Development and Promotion Bureau wore the shirts as well as the Prime Minister of Japan
Prime Minister of Japan
The is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...

 at that time, Junichiro Koizumi
Junichiro Koizumi
is a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan from 2001 to 2006. He retired from politics when his term in parliament ended.Widely seen as a maverick leader of the Liberal Democratic Party , he became known as an economic reformer, focusing on Japan's government debt and the...

. Koizumi had already worn the Kariyushi shirt at the Japan Pacific Islands Summit in 2003 which was held in Okinawa.

The NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....

 Okinawa broadcasting authority asked all news reporters on the weekday evening program Haisai! Terebi Sukasu to wear the kariyushi shirt from June to October 2006. This show first aired in April 2006. The broadcasting authority recognized that this contributed to the popularity of the shirts. Even on the TBS
Tokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....

 network, the main newscaster, Tetsuya Chikushi
Tetsuya Chikushi
was a Japanese journalist, TV presenter and news anchor.- Career :Chikushi was born in Hita, Ōita Prefecture on 23 June 1935. He graduated from Waseda University's school of political science and economics, and joined the Asahi Shimbun newspaper in 1959 as a reporter.He worked for the Asahi...

, wore a kariyushi shirt in the summer of 2004 and 2005 on his news show "Tetsuya Chikushi NEWS23".

In June 2009, all members of the Japanese government who attended the cabinet meeting wore a shirt as part of the Cool Biz campaign. The Liberal Democratic Party also wore the shirts, but Hiroyuki Hosoda
Hiroyuki Hosoda
is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet . From 2004 to 2005, he was the Chief Cabinet Secretary in Junichiro Koizumi's Cabinets, succeeded by Shinzō Abe on October 31, 2005....

 wore his shirt tucked into his pants which was said to have annoyed Yuriko Koike throughout the entire meeting. The kariyushi shirt is worn outside of the pants, and never tucked into the pants.

Branding

The term "Kariyushi shirt" is a trademark of Okinawa Industrial Joint Association. The Okinawa Clothing Sewing and Manufacturing Industrial Association is authorized to use the brand name by the joint association. The rules of the authorization are as follows:
  1. The shirts must be manufactured within the prefecture of Okinawa (fabric produced outside of the prefecture can be used to make the shirts).
  2. Only patterns that promote tourism in Okinawa can be used.
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