Ryukyu Panama,

long lost Okinawa’s
tradiditional craftmanship

The Ryukyu Panama hat industry, panama hats made from adan leaves,

started in 1904 in Okinawa, Japan and became the third largest industry.

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The hat designer of MAISON Birth learned about Ryukyu Panama upon his personal visit to

Okinawa in 2010 from a document from the early 1920’s,

which led to this 100% Japan made hat brand

RYUKYU PANAMA HAT by MAISON Birth launched in 2019.

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The raw material, adan, is one of the cornerstones of Okinawa's ecosystem and grows naturally in

the coastal areas of the islands. Adan leaves are harvested, boiled, torn, dried, tanned, and woven

into a hat by a weaver traditionally called Boshikuma.

No pesticides, chemicals, or synthetic dyes are used in the cultivation or production process.

Very little electricity is consumed during the production.

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Ryukyu Panama, made with traditional Okinawan techniques, can also play a sustainable role in a

broader sense, such as giving back to the society by creating jobs for younger generations

(Okinawa suffers the highest unemployment rate for younger generations in Japan.) and those

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who are willing to work but have difficulty finding employment and contributing to the

regeneration of Okinawa's ecosystem by planting more adan plants.

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Being entirely made of adan leaves, which protect Okinawa from frequent typhoons and its

tropical climate, Ryukyu Panama hat is resistant to high temperatures, humidity and heavy duty

and keeps its original shape and lasts for 100 years and can be, hopefully will be, passed down

from generation to generation.

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The hats made by our ancestors have taught us that by inheriting and developing tradition, certain

things will still head in the right direction.

Ryukyu Panama hats were here 100 years ago and we sincerely hope that they will be here in the

next 100 years, handed down to three generations and continue to make history through repair

and restoration.