YAMBARU ART FESTIVAL
2022-2023

Minami no shima no nunokikou IROIRO（Bingatakoubou HIGASHIYA）

"We want to convey the cuteness of Okinawa."
Various cloth travelogues on the southern island mention small brands of "Bingata Workshop Higashiya," The pigments are manually imprinted and dyed one by one, similar to making kimono or obi.
"We create cute Bingata accessories only created on this island rich in nature and culture."

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  Yoshinori Douke

  PROFILE

  Born in 1982 and raised in Hokkaido. At the age of 20, he was impressed by stencil dyeing and dyeing with plants and learned the technique by himself. When he was 22 years old, he aspired to be a Bingata craftsman and moved to Okinawa. He trained at Jouma Bingata Workshop for two years and learned Bingata and Okinawa's unique indigo, which his predecessors worked hard to recover after the war. At his Bingata Workshop Higashiya, he cultivates Ryukyu indigo in the mountains while producing Bingata to create consistent works from his plants.

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  Yuriko Douke

  PROFILE

  Born in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture in 1985.
  Through her Shuriori weaver mother’s influence, she became interested in handicrafts and traditional Okinawan crafts from a young age. She graduated from Shuri High School Dyeing and Weaving Design Department and completed the Craft Technology Support Center Bingata training course.
  After six years of training, she set up her own workshop.
  She lives in Nakijin Village, where she and her husband set up Bingata Workshop Higashiya.
  She has produced many Ryukyu dance costumes and deals in various items, including kimono, obi, and accessories.