Keeping alive Okinawa's dyeing traditionーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS

Bingata is Okinawa's traditional art of dyeing fabrics. The techniques and motifs date back to the time of the Ryukyu Kingdom, which prospered in the Okinawa Islands from the 15th to the 19th century. Bingata was not only prized as the attire of the royalty and ruling class, it also served as a valuable item of trade for the Ryukyu Kingdom, which maintained peace with neighboring countries through commerce. However, there was a point at which the dyeing tradition, that dyeing tradition, was close to being lost. The traditional Okinawan art of Bingata dyeing. Patterns are dyed onto fabrics using motifs pre-carved on stencils and techniques for applying the colorful dyes. The Shiroma Bingata Studio is located in the Shuri District, which was once the capital of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Founded some 300 years ago, it formerly produced fabrics for the Ryukyu Royal Court. Shiroma Eiichi is the 16th generation of his family to run this studio. For me, Bingata expresses the brightness and positive spirit of Okinawa. I believe this art itself embodies the wish for peace. It makes me feel how important it is to cherish these traditions that have been passed down to us so carefully. However, in 1945, the history of Bingata was almost extinguished. In the Battle of Okinawa, around 100,000 local people lost their lives in the fighting, around one quarter of the population. The Imperial Japanese Army's headquarters in Shuri came under fierce attack by the U.S. forces. The castle town was reduced to ashes, including all the tools and records of Bingata passed down since the era of the Ryukyu Kingdom. Eiichi's grandfather, Eiki, the 14th generation master. It was he who stepped forward after the war, determined to prevent the tradition of Bingata from dying out. Having lost his wife in the fierce fighting, Eiki devoted himself to reviving the art of Bingata while raising his young children. He had to fashion the tools he needed from whatever he could find. For the tip of the piping bag for the dyeing paste, he used bullet casings he picked up on the battlefield. It was made from pieces of old shellac records that Eiki scavenged from the rubble. Using these tools, he produced Bingata fabrics that he sold to the members of the occupying American forces. Gradually, one step at a time, he moved his art toward recovery. In an interview, Eiki spoke about the hardships he faced at that time. There was not one tree or plant left standing. It was a scorched wasteland. There's a saying, the country has been destroyed by war, yet the mountains and rivers remain. However, there was nothing left here. But I was absolutely determined to keep practicing Bingata no matter what, because that's where the soul of Okinawa lies. There was one motif that Eiki came back to time and again. The stencil depicts Shuri Castle, the symbol of Okinawa. It was carved by Eiki just as he remembered it, the way it looked before it was completely destroyed by the U.S. forces. These hangings were dyed using that same motif. They vividly capture the colors of the prosperous town that surrounded the castle before the war. Since he was around both before and after Shuri Castle was lost, I feel he had a strong desire to reclaim it. When this symbol of Okinawa was still standing, it was a time of peace. And I think that is what he was longing for. The long cherished desire of Okinawans to see the castle rebuilt was finally fulfilled in 1992. And in 2000, it was designated a World Heritage Site. However, in 2019, the main buildings of Shuri Castle were once again completely destroyed in a fire. Eiki says that witnessing the castle burned to the ground was the first time he truly felt the sense of loss that his grandfather had experienced. For me, Shuri Castle was simply a part of my everyday life. But for my forebears, it was a symbol of recovery. Losing it, I realized I needed to take a more serious look at the culture that has been passed down to me. That was the moment I truly decided to devote myself. The restoration of Shuri Castle's main building is due to be completed this autumn. As the 16th generation head of his family, Eiki is now focused on reconnecting more deeply with the Bingata tradition. Eiki has begun sharing the history of Bingata and his family's workshop. These days, he's creating stencils that portray the lush nature of Okinawa that his grandfather also loved. I really believe that an era in which we can experience culture is a time of peace. It's the very opposite of war. My aim is to pass down this message for future generations in a way that my grandfather and father would look down and say, well done. Eiki says he plans to create his own motifs of Shuri Castle in the future to communicate his own enduring wish for peace.