"[Miyahara Hatsuko] born 1922 in Shuri, was declared a “Living National Treasure” in 1998. After graduating with highest honors from Okinawa Prefectural Women’s Polytechnic School, she was invited to study in Tokyo at the Japan Folk Crafts Museum with master weaver Yoshitaka Yanagi. The founder of the museum, Soetsu Yanagi, encouraged her to preserve the legacy of traditional Shuri techniques. Following the devastation of World War II, she began weaving with recycled materials and through her research and teaching, revived the craft. Miyahira started her own studio in 1970 and has won numerous prizes and awards at important local and national exhibitions."

From: Long House, "2002-Okinawa Now." Accessed 2002 May 10 on the World Wide Web at http://www.longhouse.org.