


A journey through Japan's southern prefecture Okinawa on the search for the secrets of a mysterious fabric "ton-byan"
What do you think about the documentary?
- A fascinating story rediscovering the lost crafts of the Ryukyu Kingdom
- Join Sudo Reiko, the leading textile designer, to explore the beauty and diversity of Japanese textiles
The Ryukyu Kingdom (15C-19C) flourished in present-day Okinawa through international trade and developed a unique culture known for its beautifully dyed and woven textiles. While craftspeople made painstaking efforts to revive some of these traditions after they were lost in World War II, one particularly exquisite type of fabric called "ton-byan" remains a mystery. Join Japan's leading textile designer Sudo Reiko as she travels around Okinawa, searching for the secrets of this lost craft.
-
0m 08s
October 31, 2019.
-
0m 12s
Shuri Castle in Okinawa was hit by a massive fire.
-
0m 18s
The symbol of a kingdom that thrived for 450 years, reduced to cinders.
-
0m 27s
It was always there for us.
-
0m 31s
For all of us.
-
0m 34s
The heart of Okinawa.
-
0m 38s
It's where we were born...
and where we live. -
0m 54s
The Ryukyu Kingdom flourished between the 15th and 19th centuries.
-
0m 59s
At its heart, Shuri Castle was the center of politics and culture.
-
1m 08s
The Kingdom was known for the exquisite beauty of its dyed and woven textiles.
-
1m 17s
In a land blessed by nature, people spun thread and wove cloth.
-
1m 22s
And the tradition is alive even today.
-
1m 28s
Often threatened of disappearance by the harsh trials of history, every time, these treasured crafts were brought back to life.
-
1m 46s
However, one type of cloth remains an enigma.
-
1m 50s
It is known as "ton-byan."
-
1m 56s
Wow. This is amazing.
-
2m 02s
A slightly translucent fabric with a pale blue sheen.
-
2m 09s
This is a story of the people fascinated by this elusive cloth, and their attempts at unraveling its mysteries.
-
2m 31s
The subtropical island of Okinawa...
-
2m 42s
...a place brimming with life and color.
-
2m 52s
Under the Ryukyu Kingdom's rule, unique textiles developed around Shuri Castle in the capital.
-
3m 06s
One woman in Tokyo has long been fascinated by this culture.
-
3m 13s
Sudo Reiko, a world-renowned textile designer.
-
3m 23s
In a 2018 exhibition, she made a huge impact with an installation of fish-like streamers that breathed new life into traditional fabric-making techniques.
-
3m 35s
She holds a special interest in textiles born from Japanese craftsmanship.
-
3m 45s
Her shop offers innovative fabrics she created in collaboration with craftspeople from around the country.
-
3m 55s
This scarf is a popular item at the MOMA Design Store in New York.
-
4m 00s
She made it to help preserve the techniques involved in traditional Japanese kimono.
-
4m 08s
For Sudo, textiles are a reflection of people's lives.
-
4m 13s
Through her books, she takes a fresh new look at Japanese dyed and woven fabrics and introduces their appeal.
-
4m 23s
She is particularly interested in those from Okinawa, which use advanced techniques to create intricate patterns.
-
4m 35s
This September, Sudo visited Okinawa.
-
4m 39s
It was right after the official state of emergency was lifted in the prefecture.
-
4m 49s
As the pandemic rages across the world,
bringing about change... -
4m 54s
I began to wonder what it is
that doesn't change. -
4m 58s
These troubled times made me want to
revisit Okinawa and its textiles. -
5m 07s
They're rooted in court culture.
-
5m 11s
So there's a sort of elegance to them.
-
5m 16s
That's what I find really attractive.
-
5m 31s
It's her first visit in four years.
-
5m 34s
There was a place she wanted to see at the beginning of her trip: Shuri Castle.
-
5m 42s
Hello.
-
5m 57s
The once resplendent symbol of Okinawa's history has become unrecognizable.
-
6m 10s
I can't imagine how hard it must be...
-
6m 20s
for the people of Okinawa
to lose their treasure. -
6m 27s
It was their symbol.
-
6m 31s
I just hope it can be restored
as soon as possible. -
6m 43s
Okinawa was once known as the Ryukyu Kingdom.
-
6m 47s
Under the Ryukyu dynasty, the islands flourished for 450 years.
-
7m 00s
The kingdom prospered as a trade hub between China, Japan, the Korean Peninsula and other Asian countries.
-
7m 13s
This bell was cast by order of the king in 1458.
-
7m 21s
Inscribed on it are words that refer to Ryukyu as "a crossroad connecting the world."
-
7m 31s
The archipelago was a meeting point for several cultures.
-
7m 36s
There, a broad variety of unique textiles developed.
-
7m 46s
Workshops opened throughout the kingdom to create garments for the royal family and nobility.
-
7m 55s
Sudo visits a workshop that creates "bingata," a type of stencil dyeing.
-
8m 01s
- Good morning.
- Come in. -
8m 09s
Shiroma Eiichi is the successor to the Shiroma "bingata" workshop, which has been around for 16 generations and was one on the major names in "bingata" dyeing during the Ryukyu era.
-
8m 25s
The word "bingata" means color and pattern.
-
8m 31s
It is said to have originated in the 15th century, when stencil techniques and other methods from all around Asia met in Ryukyu.
-
8m 44s
- This is clearly a Japanese pattern.
- Yes. -
8m 47s
- We don't have these cherry blossoms here.
- Indeed. -
8m 53s
Old patterns are mostly Japanese or Chinese.
-
8m 58s
I guess "bingata" gradually incorporated
these cultural influences. -
9m 11s
The five basic colors.
-
9m 14s
The black is made from mixing red, blue, and yellow.
-
9m 21s
Two brushes are used: one to apply the color, and another to rub in the pigment to create a gradation.
-
9m 34s
This light and shade effect adds a sense of depth.
-
9m 47s
The larger "bingata" patterns were a luxury forbidden outside nobility and royalty.
-
9m 55s
"Bingata" was a valuable trade item that brought fortune to the Kingdom.
-
10m 05s
We've been operating since the Ryukyu era,
but 75 years ago, there was the war. -
10m 12s
My grandfather, Eiki, was 38 at the time.
-
10m 21s
He used these tools.
-
10m 24s
They're from that time?
-
10m 26s
Yes. We still use them.
-
10m 32s
These are bullet casings.
-
10m 35s
- Real bullets?
- Yes, actual bullets. -
10m 40s
The nozzles of this glue bag used for dyeing are cartridges from the US military.
-
10m 49s
The tools were made by Eiichi's grandfather, Eiki.
-
10m 54s
Ironically, after artisans in Okinawa lost everything in the war, they used objects discarded by their former enemy to help revive their craft.
-
11m 07s
Toward the end of World War Two, Okinawa was the theater of fierce ground battles.
-
11m 18s
The strongest above-ground fortification on Okinawa was Shuri Castle.
-
11m 23s
...withstood over 25 direct hits from our naval gunfire.
-
11m 27s
A 120 acres of village and barracks installations, which was totally destroyed.
-
11m 36s
This is footage of Shuri taken from an American bomber.
-
11m 43s
The castle came under artillery fire.
-
11m 46s
The people's "symbol of hope" was burnt to the ground.
-
11m 58s
This stencil was made by Eiki shortly after the war, using a map from the Japanese military.
-
12m 04s
He found the map in an underground bunker at Shuri Castle.
-
12m 11s
A top-secret wartime artifact had turned into a tool for the revival of "bingata."
-
12m 23s
This is a stencil.
-
12m 32s
Here is another of Eiki's stencils handed down in the Shiroma family depicting Shuri Castle.
-
12m 39s
I think it was made about
10 years after the war. -
12m 44s
At the time, there was a local movement
to restore the landscape. -
12m 51s
It represents the city of Shuri
on the path of reconstruction. -
12m 59s
Eiichi's father, Eijun, used the stencil to dye this fabric.
-
13m 06s
The memory of Shuri Castle, shared between two generations.
-
13m 14s
Our ancestors left us this wonderful craft.
-
13m 19s
We had to revive it in some way.
-
13m 25s
That was all I had in mind.
-
13m 30s
Eiki passed away in 1992, the year Shuri Castle was rebuilt.
-
13m 37s
His wish to see the castle once again was never fulfilled.
-
13m 47s
In 2019, the castle was destroyed in another fire.
-
13m 53s
Amid the shock, Eiichi recalled a Ryukyu poem written by his grandfather.
-
14m 00s
'Dear child
Standing in the darkest night' 'Wait a while
I shall chase the storm away' -
14m 09s
The child refers to Okinawa, his home,
standing frightened in the dark. -
14m 20s
He's encouraging it, saying he will
cast away the storm. -
14m 26s
After the war, my grandfather devoted
himself entirely to "bingata." -
14m 33s
I think at one point, he made up his mind.
He decided to live for "bingata." -
14m 49s
Dear child
Standing in the darkest night
Wait a while
I shall chase the storm away There was the 2019 fire, and then around
February this year, the pandemic. -
15m 12s
The whole island turned quiet.
It was dreadful. -
15m 20s
I felt that a simple return to our roots
would not be enough. -
15m 26s
We have to reexamine ourselves.
-
15m 39s
How can I say it...?
-
15m 45s
I felt like I was being told:
‘Now it's your turn to pass on the torch.' You know, it's been 36 years since
I started to make fabric. -
16m 19s
But I seriously started to consider
whether I should quit. -
16m 28s
Around April or May.
-
16m 32s
The factories have stopped.
Some open for only two days a week. -
16m 41s
But when I talk with the workers,
I feel motivated to create again. -
16m 51s
Your story too has given me
the strength to go on. -
16m 58s
Thank you for sharing it.
-
17m 07s
The dye for "bingata" is from the "fukugi" tree.
Eiki planted these in the ruins after the war. -
17m 13s
75 years later, the trees have grown.
-
17m 19s
But the dye only comes from
100-year-old trees. -
17m 25s
In them, I saw Eiki's message to keep
looking forward, no matter the hardships. -
17m 44s
The town of Haebaru is about 5 kilometers south of Shuri Castle.
-
17m 50s
After the war, many craftsmen of a technique called "kasuri" gathered here and it became a major production area.
-
18m 06s
In Okinawa "kasuri," weavers create
numerous patterns... -
18m 13s
with slight changes in movement.
-
18m 18s
There's this nuance in the techniques
that makes it different... -
18m 24s
from the "kasuri" of other regions.
-
18m 29s
Sudo visited one of the town's well-known "kasuri" workshops.
-
18m 37s
Hello.
-
18m 40s
"Kasuri" was introduced from Southeast Asia around the 14th century and underwent unique developments in the kingdom.
-
18m 57s
The color is Ryukyu indigo, a natural dye the island is famous for.
-
19m 22s
Ryukyu "kasuri" is characterized by its gentle yet orderly patterns.
-
19m 35s
Patterns can be divided into four groups based on the inspiration for their design: nature, animals and plants, daily items, and the human body.
-
19m 47s
More than 600 patterns exist.
-
19m 55s
"Kasuri" was an important export item for the Ryukyu Kingdom, which set down specific rules on colors and patterns, and strictly controlled its production.
-
20m 11s
Wow, this is amazing!
-
20m 15s
This pattern is inspired by the shape of a carpenter's square.
-
20m 20s
Today, modern designs are created based on Ryukyu-era patterns.
-
20m 31s
Ohshiro Kazuo is a "kasuri" craftsman.
-
20m 35s
He shows her some precious kimonos.
-
20m 41s
They were collected by his father, Koshiro.
-
20m 45s
- Were they for research?
- Yes. -
20m 54s
Oshiro Koshiro was a craftsman who dedicated himself to restoring Ryukyu "kasuri" after the war.
-
21m 04s
Almost every day, he would visit a textile market and collect pre-war kimono to bring back "kasuri," which had been lost in the war.
-
21m 21s
What is this?
-
21m 23s
It's said to be "ton-byan."
-
21m 31s
I've heard about it, and I've seen some
examples behind glass at exhibitions. -
21m 39s
But never so closely.
-
21m 43s
The collection included "ton-byan," known as "the lost cloth."
-
21m 50s
- Here's another one.
- You have more? -
22m 04s
It's so beautiful, I can't help but touch it.
It's shimmering. -
22m 12s
It's more than 100 years old.
-
22m 17s
The sheen is amazing.
-
22m 25s
It was the first time I touched "ton-byan."
-
22m 29s
The crisp texture and the luster
of the threads captured my heart. -
22m 39s
However, Oshiro says that no one
weaves this cloth today. -
22m 50s
Why was the technique lost?
All the other textiles were revived. -
22m 56s
I think there are too many things
we don't know. -
23m 00s
We can tell it's a plant fiber,
but the kind of plant is srill unclear. -
23m 09s
When did "ton-byan" come to exist in Okinawa?
-
23m 20s
The name "ton-byan" first appears in Okinawa-related documents in the mid-18th century.
-
23m 26s
This manuscript chronicles the history of the Ryukyu Kingdom.
-
23m 33s
It says that the king will reward good deeds from his vassals with "ton-byan."
-
23m 46s
Only those of high status were allowed to don a "ton-byan" kimono.
-
23m 51s
The fabric was born from Ryukyu's flourishing aristocracy.
-
23m 59s
Acting as a crossroad between different countries, Ryukyu developed a rich culture, which eventually attracted interest from Europe as well.
-
24m 13s
This is the journal of British naval officer Basil Hall in the early 19th century.
-
24m 22s
Hall describes Ryukyu as "having no military weapons of any kind."
-
24m 29s
He depicts the island as a peaceful utopia.
-
24m 40s
But the peace of the Ryukyu era came to an end with the so-called "Ryukyu Disposition," or "Disposal" in 1879.
-
24m 54s
King Sho Tai was moved to Tokyo, and the kingdom was annexed by Japan.
-
25m 06s
One man feared that the unique culture of Ryukyu would be lost.
-
25m 19s
Adolf Bastian, the director of the Ethnological Museum of Berlin, who decided to gather cultural assets of the Ryukyu Kingdom.
-
25m 33s
In 1884, more than 540 were purchased and shipped to Germany.
-
25m 40s
They included clothes and other daily items.
-
25m 48s
Some textiles made the journey as well.
-
25m 52s
Sudo wanted to know more about them.
-
25m 57s
Good afternoon.
-
26m 01s
- Thank you for having me.
- Please come in. -
26m 05s
Shukumine Kyoko is one of the leading artisans of a weaving technique called "Shuri-ori."
-
26m 13s
She is known for her work that combines tradition with innovation.
-
26m 24s
In the winter of 1994, after learning that Germany owned a collection of textiles from the Ryukyu Kingdom, she immediately visited the museum for research.
-
26m 39s
More than 100 dyed and woven items were stored there.
-
26m 47s
They were dirty and covered in dust.
-
26m 50s
My white gloves would turn black
by the end of the day. -
26m 56s
But they were all such precious items.
I wanted to bring each of them home. -
27m 08s
Shukumine spent six months examining the textiles.
-
27m 17s
It was like meeting the people
behind the fabrics. -
27m 23s
Looking at the threads spun so neatly,
through the fabric, I could visualize... -
27m 37s
...the people who worked on it.
-
27m 40s
I could see the story behind each piece.
It was such an emotional experience. -
27m 52s
She reproduced eight pieces of textile from the Ryukyu era based on her research in Berlin.
-
28m 01s
This is the royal headdress of Ryukyu she saw in Berlin.
-
28m 09s
It's decorated with an intricate pattern woven in "shuri-ori" techniques.
-
28m 15s
She recreated the pattern and applied it to a kimono.
-
28m 27s
Among the items in the museum collection was something unexpected.
-
28m 36s
- There was "ton-byan?"
- Indeed, there was. -
28m 42s
This white fabric with a "kasuri" pattern is recorded as a weave of cotton and "ton-byan" fibers.
-
28m 52s
The white fibers appear to shimmer like glass.
-
28m 59s
In the faraway museum, Shukumine found a total of seven pieces marked as "ton-byan" fabric.
-
29m 08s
But there was no record of the material that had been used to weave them.
-
29m 25s
Others are trying to uncover the secret of "ton-byan."
-
29m 30s
Miyagi Nana is a researcher of modern Okinawa textiles.
-
29m 37s
For her, the biggest feature of "ton-byan" is its transparency.
-
29m 45s
Miyagi is studying a 19th-century kimono owned by a museum in Okinawa.
-
29m 54s
This is a perfect example of "ton-byan."
-
29m 59s
The large patterns on a yellow background
suggest it was for a royal family member. -
30m 11s
It was first believed to be "basho-fu," a textile woven with fibers from banana trees.
-
30m 19s
On the left is "ton-byan."
On the right is "basho-fu." -
30m 28s
"Ton-byan" has this transparency.
-
30m 32s
Other fibers don't have it.
-
30m 39s
Her research brought some things to light.
-
30m 42s
When you look closely, you can see
the threads underneath it. -
30m 46s
So the garment itself
is probably see-through. -
30m 50s
A bit like a modern-day organdy blouse.
I think people enjoyed it as fashion. -
31m 01s
I think fashion in its most refined form
focuses on materials. -
31m 08s
So I imagine the culture around Shuri
must have been incredibly refined. -
31m 15s
I wish I could take a peek
into people's lives back then. -
31m 32s
Yanagi Yoshikuni is known as a researcher of Okinawa's textiles.
-
31m 39s
He mainly focuses on the twist of the threads.
-
31m 48s
Twisting is a process that binds fibers together to make stronger and longer threads.
-
31m 57s
The cross-section of a twisted thread is round.
-
32m 06s
But in "ton-byan," the threads aren't twisted.
You can see they're flat. -
32m 14s
It might be what gives it
its sheen and its transparency. -
32m 24s
Yanagi believes that the transparency of "ton-byan" comes from how the threads are made.
-
32m 35s
He picks up one kimono.
-
32m 39s
It's a "ton-byan" garment that his father and textile craftsman Yanagi Yoshitaka obtained in Okinawa before the war.
-
32m 48s
He was visiting the island with his uncle, Yanagi Muneyoshi, who led the Folk Crafts movement.
-
33m 02s
It's adorned with an indigo blue "bingata" pattern.
-
33m 15s
The name "ton-byan,"
ton-byan cloth, ton-byan... -
33m 23s
I think it derives from the name
of the material or thread. -
33m 28s
I'm not sure about the material.
There are several theories. -
33m 38s
Down to its very threads, "ton-byan" is a mystery that's captured the imagination of many.
-
33m 48s
One scholar believes that the thread of the "ton-byan" is taken from a type of agave plant.
-
33m 55s
Matayoshi Mitsukuni.
-
34m 00s
This is agave. In local dialect
it's actually called "ton-byan." -
34m 07s
These leaves are filled with fibers.
-
34m 20s
I want some.
-
34m 23s
I wonder if I can cut off a piece.
-
34m 27s
No? Oh, well.
-
34m 38s
Actually, Matayoshi specializes not in textiles... but in computer science.
-
34m 48s
"Ton-byan" is called a lost fiber, a lost cloth.
If something is lost, I want to find it. -
35m 00s
Intrigued by the plant's name, "ton-byan," Matayoshi's inquisitive mind led him to see for himself if he could extract fibers from it.
-
35m 14s
I got sap on my skin
when breaking the leaves. -
35m 20s
And it was itching terribly.
But in the end I succeeded. -
35m 27s
Matayoshi was able to obtain pure white fibers.
-
35m 32s
He believes these are what "ton-byan" is made of.
-
35m 47s
Before the trip, Sudo showed us something at her shop.
-
35m 54s
She had been in touch with yet another person in pursuit of "ton-byan."
-
36m 03s
She had sent letters to Sudo to share her findings.
-
36m 13s
There's a mystery even today's
science and technology can't solve. -
36m 20s
Romantic, isn't it?
-
36m 24s
The letters were from Le Bars Miyahira Ginko, who passed away in 2018.
-
36m 32s
Ginko was the daughter of Miyahira Hatsuko, a living national treasure in the field of "shuri-ori" weaving.
-
36m 40s
Growing up, Ginko watched her mother work, and was inspired to pursue a path in textiles.
-
36m 48s
After attending art school, she went to France to study Gobelin tapestry weaving, which she then incorporated into her "shuri-ori" pieces.
-
37m 03s
She later taught at university while continuing her quest to create the ultimate "shuri-ori."
-
37m 14s
Ginko first encountered "ton-byan" in 1982.
-
37m 23s
Crafts that had been taken to the mainland and survived the war were brought back to Okinawa for the first time in nearly 50 years.
-
37m 34s
Crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of the long-lost beauty of Ryukyu.
-
37m 39s
Ginko saw people reacting to "ton-byan."
-
37m 43s
That was when her pursuit of the enigmatic textile started.
-
37m 49s
You usually don't see men
at a textile exhibition. -
37m 55s
But there were a lot of men there,
looking intently at the "ton-byan." -
38m 00s
Many said they wanted to
wear it again. -
38m 03s
That's how I got interested.
-
38m 08s
Ginko was moved by the place "ton-byan" held in people's hearts.
-
38m 14s
She wanted to hold its threads, and weave the long-lost fabric with her own hands.
-
38m 21s
This became her mission as a weaver of "shuri-ori."
-
38m 35s
Come in.
-
38m 37s
Oh, so many!
-
38m 43s
Ginko had kept a huge collection of ton-byan-related items and documents.
-
38m 52s
Sudo was given the opportunity to examine them.
-
39m 01s
These threads in her collection suggest Ginko's theory.
-
39m 10s
This must be ramie.
I believe its hand-spun ramie. -
39m 16s
It's beautiful.
-
39m 24s
Ramie is a perennial plant in the nettle family said to have come from China.
-
39m 33s
The islands of Miyako and Ishigaki in Okinawa are known for their ramie cloth.
-
39m 40s
People still cherish ramie today as a part of everyday life.
-
39m 51s
Fibers are taken from the stem's outer layer of skin.
-
40m 09s
The skin is divided by hand into increasingly thin strips, gradually becoming white strands.
-
40m 20s
They are spun together carefully to form a long thread.
-
40m 29s
Fabrics made from this ramie thread was known for their high quality.
-
40m 35s
They were offered to the court in the Ryukyu era.
-
40m 45s
Nature also plays its part.
-
40m 54s
The seawater and sunlight help the dye to set, and to further bleach the white areas.
-
41m 04s
This process is still alive in the Yaeyama region.
-
41m 17s
Ginko, however, believed "ton-byan" was different from Okinawan ramie.
-
41m 27s
Her hypothesis was that "ton-byan"
used imported threads... -
41m 33s
from China's Fujian Province.
-
41m 39s
Ginko had focused on a company called Maruichi Shoten, which imported so-called "ton-byan," a local specialty from Fujian.
-
41m 53s
But the Manchurian Incident of 1931 escalated the conflict between Japan and China, and imports of "ton-byan" stopped.
-
42m 09s
I went through every last document.
All that was left was to find the real thing. -
42m 17s
And so I had to go to the region
to try and obtain it. -
42m 25s
Ginko visited China several times.
-
42m 32s
And she finally identified a town in Fujian Province that had a ramie field.
-
42m 40s
Seeing the ramie thread from that town, Ginko was convinced it was "ton-byan."
-
42m 51s
Hoping to back this with scientific evidence, she asked an expert in plant fibers to conduct tests on the their structure.
-
43m 04s
The research concluded that the ramie and "ton-byan" could be considered the same thing.
-
43m 13s
"Ton-byan" is ramie from China.
-
43m 17s
That became Ginko's answer.
-
43m 23s
Hello.
-
43m 30s
Unten Yuko used to work as an assistant to Ginko.
-
43m 37s
This is some thread from that time.
It was sent to us in packs like this. -
43m 45s
The ramie thread from China was different from any she had seen before.
-
43m 55s
This becomes clearer through comparison.
-
43m 58s
The left one is from China, and the right, from Okinawa.
-
44m 06s
This one's a little thick and warm-colored.
This is thin and slightly transparent. -
44m 14s
I think this transparency
is its biggest feature. -
44m 21s
It was their first time using Chinese ramie.
-
44m 25s
Weaving cloth from it proved extremely difficult.
-
44m 32s
It's so transparent.
It's hard to see it when weaving. -
44m 39s
At first, we could only weave
1 or 2 cm a day. -
44m 47s
Ginko's mother and living national treasure Hatsuko also joined in the effort.
-
44m 57s
To put less strain on the delicate ramie threads, they reproduced a loom from pre-war times.
-
45m 08s
The threads became especially fragile when dry.
-
45m 12s
So, they constantly applied water as they wove.
-
45m 16s
When they finally completed one roll of fabric about ten meters long, two years had passed.
-
45m 30s
But no one has seen Ginko's "ton-byan" yet.
-
45m 38s
Really? This is so exciting!
-
45m 42s
Can I?
-
45m 52s
Oh, this is amazing.
-
45m 57s
Ginko's pursuit of nearly 30 years had culminated in this single piece of cloth.
-
46m 06s
Wow...
-
46m 13s
The sheer fabric faintly reflects light.
-
46m 24s
It's strong and soft at the same time.
-
46m 28s
And it has such a beautiful sheen.
-
46m 41s
I thought of Ginko, who committed herself
to reviving "ton-byan." -
46m 46s
The brilliant fabric now in my hands seemed
to embody Ginko's strong will... -
46m 52s
and the enormous amount of time
she had devoted to it. -
46m 57s
Sadly, Ginko later passed away.
-
47m 01s
Her studio was closed down in September this year.
-
47m 05s
"Ton-byan" was once again without an artisan to weave it.
-
47m 16s
At the end of her trip, Sudo made one last visit to Shuri Castle.
-
47m 27s
A long time ago, it was a place where people and cultures met, and the cradle of Okinawa's unique textiles.
-
47m 37s
You can see the ships from here.
-
47m 43s
Ships must have carried culture
in and out through the centuries. -
47m 52s
Through this journey, I've met people
determined to carry on... -
47m 59s
the techniques and esthetics
of Ryukyu culture. -
48m 06s
It has renewed my passion for sharing
their dedicated work with the world. -
48m 20s
Ryukyu's distinctive sense of beauty has often been faced with the threat of disappearance.
-
48m 27s
Yet, every time, it has been revived by the hands of passionate creators.
-
48m 35s
Together with the mysterious "ton-byan," they carry Okinawa's wish for peace, and continue to enchant people across time and beyond borders.