Splendor of the Dragon - Costumes of the Ryukyu Kingdom

Exhibition catalog from Splendor of the Dragon - Costumes of the Ryukyu Kingdom, Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles (now Craft Contemporary) in cooperation with the Okinawa Prefectural Museum, 1995.

Gloria Gonick, Curator

• Preface by Patrick H. Ela, Executive Director, CAFAM
• Acknowledgements by Gloria Gonick, Curator
• Greetings from Chowa Nakazato, Superintendent, Okinawa Board of Education, and Kenji Itokazu, Director, Okinawa Prefectural Museum
• Splendor of the Dragon: Costumes of the Ryukyu Kingdom by Gloria Gonick, Curator
• Bingata: Its Colors and Forms by Ichiko Yonamine, Curator, Okinawa Prefectural Museum
• Plates
• Bast-Fiber Textiles of Okinawa: Basho and Ramie by Gloria Gonick and Karla Munoz, Research Assistant
• Exhibition Checklist
• Bibliography
• Glossary

Modern-day Okinawa was once the ancient kingdom of Ryukyu, a center of economic and cultural exchange with China, Korea, Japan, and other Southeast Asian countries, which developed a culture that was unique and different from that of mainland Japan.

This is especially true for Okinawan dyeing and weaving--the best-known example of which is bingata cloth, which is characterized by brilliant colors and a variety of patterns that preserve the vestiges of a glorious royal culture. Okinawans also perfected weaving techniques, especially for banana (basho) and other bast fibers. The exquisite kimonos presented here are examples of the finest Okinawan weaving and dyeing; this book will be of great interest to anyone interested in textiles and Asian cultures.

Craft & Folk Art Museum, 1995, softcover, 8 x 9.5 inches, 48 pages.