BINGO KASURI was first produced in 1853, in the late Edo period around the Bingo region, present Fukuyama city, Japan. Katsunari Mizuno, the first feudal lord of Fukuyama Domain, who built Fukuyama castle in 1622, promoted new industries in his domain. Production and sales of cotton fabric was one of them.
The land along the coast of the Seto Inland Sea was reclaimed land. Cotton plants are strong against sea breeze. The cultivation of cotton was promoted and then cotton fabric production became popular in farming villages. For young village girls, weaving was a must-have skill to get married. Every night after working in the farming fields, girls and women weaved.
In Kannabe, a post town of the Sanyo-do road, durable and affordable cotton fabric they produced sold well. The demand continued to increase. Between 1844 and 1853 some merchants started dealing with cotton and they sold the cotton fabric to even Izumo and Kyushu region. The fabric was called “Kannabe Shima or Fukuyama Shima (stripes).”
In 1844, Masahiro Abe, a feudal lord of Fukuyama Domain, enforced laws regulating expenditures and banned the use of silk fabric. In 1853 (in the late Edo period) Commodore Matthew C. Perry of the United States Navy arrived in Japan with his Black Ships. In the same year in the Bingo region, Kyuzaburo Tomita developed and sold new design fabric. A bundle of yarns was wrapped with bamboo sheath and tied with hemp thread. The yarns were tie-dyed and then woven. It is considered the start of beautiful ”Bingo Gasuri.” Bingo Gasuri is one of Japan’s three major Kasuri. The three major Kasuri are Bingo Gasuri, Kurume Kasuri, and Iyo Gasuri.
“Kannabe Shima or Fukuyama Shima”— fabric woven in Kannabe area from 1622 and distributed widely Bingo fabric has been known for its durability, affordable-price, color fastness, and practical use. Bingo Gasuri was first produced in 1853, and around 1960 the annual shipment reached 3.3 million tan (about 35000 km in length), which accounted for 70% of all cotton fabric production in Japan. Bingo Gasuri Mompe pants, also called Japanese jeans, sold tremendously. Bingo Gasuri’s Japan blue “indigo dye” makes fabric more durable.
Compared to other countries’ indigo colors, “Japan blue” is deeper and darker. It looks almost black. In the ancient times, cloth dyed in dark or deep blue in a unique way was called “kachi zome” (dyeing by tapping cloth) and then it was called “kachi iro” (blue-black color). In Kamakura period (1185-1333), dark indigo color was called “katsu iro” or “kachi iro” (literally means winning color). It was treasured by Japanese warrior commanders because of its lucky name and much deeper blue was preferred. Some samurai armors were made with cords dyed in this color. Also, this natural dye helps suppress the growth of germs, so warrior commanders wore clothes dyed in this color to protect themselves from infection.
Japanese craftsmen have studied and improved Japan blue color making process and material. Plant leaves called “tade ai” are dried and then fermented by adding natural lye. This special process creates “Japan blue” — one-of-a-kind deep indigo color.
Cotton is moisture-retaining, absorbent and durable material, which is easily dyed in indigo. The textile manufacturers of Bingo Gasuri strictly follow the traditional dying method from the Edo period and use natural indigo dye. Indigo repels insects. During the initial use, the dye may run in water during laundry. It binds to protein of cotton fibers and this chemical reaction makes the fabric more durable.
Japan indigo-dye fabric has unique “indigo and white” colors. Denim fades over time. The core of the yarns is white, so the color becomes lighter as you use it. Bingo Gasuri also fades over time. The yarns are dyed to the core. So, indigo color becomes deeper and white color becomes whiter over time.
Kasuri is yarn-dyed woven fabric. A bundle of warp or weft is tie-dyed with indigo or other dye. Weaving tied portion (non-dyed portion) creates various patterns. The yarns are hand-dyed slowly and carefully, washed and dried.
Bingo Gasuri’s production processes are time-consuming with detailed work. Multiple processes are repeated over and over to create durable and resilient fabric. Craftsmen carefully spread each bundle of dyed yarns under the sun. The yarns are sun-dried slowly, allowing them to hold more air inside. The core of yarn expands, making the fabric soft to touch, cool in summer and warm in winter. Even with the same natural dye, the finish color is slightly lighter in summer and slightly darker in winter.
Bingo Gasuri is produced slowly and carefully in 20 processes or more. Originally different manufacturers performed different processes. As the production volume decreased, the division of labor disappeared. Now, there are only two textile companies, which perform all these processes in their own facility.
