青幻舎 SEIGENSHA Art Publishing

Ryukyu bingata is marked by bold, rhythmical stencil-dyed patterns and vivid colors that shine in the subtropical sun. Its distinctive beauty distills and melds influences from Okinawa’s centuries-long cultural interaction with its trade partners, including mainland China, Southeast Asia, and Yamato (Japan).

With their colorful images of fluttering birds and luxuriant flora, the some 200 textile pieces in this collection fully showcase the brilliant hues, designs, and artisanship of Ryukyu bingata. The volume opens with splendid attire from the house of Sho, rulers of the former Ryukyu Kingdom; alongside these consummately worked costumes reserved for royalty and the aristocracy, examples of classical bingata, indigo-dyed eigata, and bingata with repeating komon patterns demonstrate the rich expressive scope of this treasured textile tradition.

Contents
Chapter 1. Costumes from the Ryukyu Sho Dynasty
Chapter 2. Bingata Fabrics
Chapter 3. Classical Ryukyu Bingata Costumes
Chapter 4. Eigata Fabrics
Chapter 5. Komon Bingata Fabrics
Essays by Okumura Shinobu (proprietor, Mingei Okumura crafts store) and Yonamine Ichiko (expert member, Okinawa Prefectural Cultural Properties Protection Council)