紅型

The tradition & historical record

Bingata (Okinawan: 紅型) is a traditional stencilled resist dyeing technique originating in Okinawa Prefecture. Bingata typically features a busy pattern of repeating nature motifs such as fish, flowers and fauna in a number of bright colours. Bingata is worn during traditional Ryukyuan festivals and traditional arts performances. Bingata dates from the Ryūkyū Kingdom period (14th century), when the island of Okinawa experienced an influx of foreign goods and manufacturing techniques. It is believed to have developed as a synthesis of Indian, Chinese, and Javanese dyeing processes. ¹

The techniques used in bingata are thought to have originated in Southeast Asia (possibly Java, or perhaps China or India), and arrived in the Ryukyu Kingdom through trade during the 14th century. The Ryukyu Kingdom, having a strong trade system between Korea, Japan, China and other Southeast Asian countries in the 15th and 16th centuries, utilised fabric decoration techniques originating in these countries to create an independent style of dyework featuring nature-inspired designs reflecting the Ryukyu Islands. The abundant flora and fauna gave the resulting fabric a strong natural influence, resulting in the development of the designs typically seen in bingata today. In 1609, Japan invaded the Ryukyu Kingdom, and trade with foreign countries was prohibited. Japan demanded tribute from the Ryukyu people in the form of handicraft production, and its people were forced to produce various fabrics, including the banana fibers cloths known as jofu and kafu. In order to improve the bingata technique, the Ryukyu people invited foreign craftsmen to the island and had their own people travel abroad to master various craft techniques. The goods produced for the Japanese by the Ryukyu people were also judged by an exacting and high standard set by the royal authorities, resulting in the exported goods reaching a high level of craftsmanship that generated a strong desire for Ryukyu crafts and goods. In a report from a Chinese envoy dated 1802, the writer speaks of the beautiful bingata from Okinawa, commenting that the flowers depicted in the fabric were so vibrant that the fabric must have been produced using a "production secret that they do not reveal to others". Pigments used in bingata were imported from Fukien and used in textile dyeing. ¹

The production of bingata is labour-intensive, with it taking three people three days to paint the material for just one kimono, and then a further month to finish it. Although bingata kimono are hard to come by, hand-made bingata T-shirts can be found for around $40 and noren curtains for around $200. A cotton bingata kimono can cost about $500 and a silk kimono $1,000. There are ten labour-intensive steps to producing Ryukyu bingata: ¹

Stencil cutting:Mulberry papers are coated with persimmon tannin and sealed together to form a firm sheet. A design is drawn onto the paper directly or traced from another source. The details are cut with a small blade and afterwards it is coated again to keep it from bending. Stencil resist painting:A special rice-paste made from boiled rice, rice bran and water is scraped across the top of the stencil on the cloth. Freehand resist painting:If a large area is needed to be painted, a freehand technique is used to apply the rice-paste resist onto the fabric. The paste is put into a bag and squeezed onto the fabric. Painting:Prepared paints are painted onto the fabric starting from lighter to darker colours. One design can use from 9 to 18 different colours. Re-painting:To achieve a more vibrant colour the paints are added once more and this time rubbed into the cloth with a stiff brush made out of human hair. Details:Details around the edges of each object are added to emphasise the image. ¹

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Bingata”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. ¹

bingata is Okinawan traditional resist dyed cloth, made using stencils and other methods, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. ²

The source record links this tradition to 4 external registers, which can be verified through the citation. ²