Bingata is a traditional cloth-dyeing method that spans generations and has a 500-year history on Okinawa. This craft consists of colorful patterns painted onto fabric used for tapestries, clothing and more.

In the past, the art was practiced by skilled craftsman, but now studios in Okinawa are opening their doors to a new generation of bingata enthusiasts and tourists. To try my hand and learn more about bingata, I visited Gusuku Bingata, which has been in business for 53 years in Urasoe City.

Gusuku Bingata’s two-story building houses a shop on the first floor selling decorated tapestries and kimonos, hats, baby clothing, t-shirts and more. On the second floor, there is a studio where visitors can practice this age-old art.

I followed Gusuku Bingata manager Shingo Yamashiro to the studio, a spacious wooden floor room that reminded me of a grade school art room. Masako Tamaki, 75, who co-founded the studio with her husband Morikazu, was seated in a corner of the studio working on a long tapestry. Her mesmerizing brush strokes were completing a prince and princess design for the Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Day) holiday.

Before I could grab a paintbrush, Yamashiro gave me a brief lesson on the history of the craft. Traditionally, bingata was used for the Ryukyu Kingdom’s (1429-1879) royal costumes. Back then, each costume required three to four months of work and fabric between 12 to 15 meters long, Yamashiro said. Today, a similar costume would cost between one to two million yen (approx. $6,000 to $13,000).

One interesting feature is bingata’s use of foreign fabrics and paint not originally manufactured in Okinawa. Some of the patterns in bingata incorporate dyeing methods of the foreign lands like Kyoto’s Yuzen-zome, Malaysian Batik, or Chinese indigo. In addition, the diverse and colorful motifs like dragons, phoenix, cherry blossoms, and tree peonies are also hints to the inspiration drawn from other lands, Yamahsiro explained. 

In bingata, there are two types of dyeing processes: Katazome and Tsutsugaki.

Katazome utilizes a reverse stencil with floral, dragon and other similar designs. The reverse stencil serves as a mask when the fabric is starched. Once fixed, the starch that becomes a mask in the process of dyeing. This is the method visitors to Gusuku Bingata can try.

Tsustugaki, on the other hand, uses tubed/bagged starch to delineate and control the dye from going into sections you don’t want to color.

Before I got started, I picked from three types of items to dye in the katazome method: tapestry (3,800 yen), tote bag (3,300 or 2,700 yen), or coaster (2,200 yen). I chose a tapestry with a dragon and flower design because it was a nod to 2024, which is the year of the dragon in the lunar calendar. I also wanted to make it a gift for my father who was born in 1940, another year of the dragon.  

 At my workstation in the studio, there were eight colors and three paintbrushes to create my bingata design. Yamashiro said that commercial products usually use 12 different colors and suggested that I start painting with bright colors first before moving to the darker ones for accenting the pattern.

I didn’t want to screw it up with a big, clumsy brushstroke, so I used the smallest brush available. As I was cautiously applying red color with the small brush, though, Yamashiro told me not to worry too much, as the pre-starched design would still be okay. There was a reference photo which showed me an example of how to color the dragon and the flowers around it.

As I painted, Yamashiro encouraged me to experiment by layering colors. It sounded very interesting but too much for a clumsy first-timer like me who had my hands full just applying one color to one portion. Having never been good at painting and drawing, I felt very awkward at first. But, after 10 minutes or so, I forgot about my clumsiness and found myself immersed in adding color to the cloth.

As I worked and painted the rest of the pattern, I was curious to see what the finished design would look like once the stenciled starch mask was removed. However, I would have to wait between five to seven days to see the finished product.

After an hour of painting, it was time to take the tapestry home to let it dry for about a week before I could rinse off the starch with warm water. At home, the tapestry hung to dry on a clothes hanger by my window for 10 days, a bit longer than it’s supposed to. But, as I soaked it in hot water for a few hours after ironing it over newspaper and washing it, the dragon and flower design came to life in vibrant colors.

The bingata tapestry has now earned a spot in my father’s living room side-by-side with a figurine of a dragon, both of which are looking after us as guardians for a happy year. A piece of Okinawa tradition and reminder of a creative afternoon I spent in Urasoe City.

Gusuku Bingata is about a 20-minute drive from Camp Kinser and offers workshops daily with English instructions available. This is a great place to start if you want to learn a local craft and take a unique piece of Okinawa home with you.

Gusuku Bingata

HOURS: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. (closed on Sun)

GPS COORDINATES: N 26.23658, E 127.73356

Free Parking space available.

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