A bingata robe on display at the Tokyo National Museum.
- Other Names: 形付 (katachiki, O: katatikii)
- Japanese: 紅型 (bingata)
Bingata is an Okinawan resist-dye textile design technique, involving bold, colorful patterns, often involving flowers, and often on a red or yellow ground. Traditionally, bingata garments were strictly limited to the Ryukyuan royalty and aristocracy.
The process is done by using persimmon juice as a resist, blocking out areas one does not wish to dye. Dye is then applied through stencils, by hand, one section at a time, to produce the designs.[1]
Roughly 41 bingata garments associated with the royal family survive today,[2] including several which have been designated National Treasures. They are defined as bingata by the dyeing technique, and include garments made from a variety of materials.
References
- Gallery labels, Naha City Museum of History, August 2013.
- ↑ Gallery labels, Tokyo National Museum.
- ↑ Along with fifteen orimono (woven garments) and one embroidered garment.