Yūkō Tamanaha

Yūkō Tamanaha ( Japanese 玉 那覇 有 公 , Tamanaha Yūkō ; born October 22, 1936 in Ishigaki , Okinawa Prefecture ) is a Japanese dyer and craftsman. It was declared in 1996 as the first living national treasure for the important intangible cultural asset “textile dyeing”.

Yūkō Tamanaha originally worked in a steel mill after graduating from school. But he was then the Färbemeister Eiki Shiroma XIV., Who from the prefecture to the Keeper of the Bingata formed had been appointed -Färbetechnik after he had married his only daughter Michiko. After his training, he opened in 1961. in the district of Shuri in Naha own studio. His bingata technique is characterized by the fact that he applies different, mostly colorful patterns on both sides of the textile. Due to the precise cutting of the stencils, Yūkō Tamanaha succeeds in creating the impression of light and movement with color and shading. In addition to numerous awards, he received the Medal of Honor in 1998on the violet ribbon and in 2006 the Order of the Rising Sun (merit class officer).

For his bingata dyeing technique, Yūkō Tamanaha was named a Living National Treasure in May 1996. He is also an honorary citizen of his hometown Ishigaki. His son Yūshō Tamanaha (* 1968) is also a dye master and runs a studio in Yomitan .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ 玉 那覇 有 公 . In: デ ジ タ ル 版 日本人 名 大 辞典 + Plus at kotobank.jp. Retrieved March 18, 2015 (Japanese). 
2. ↑ ^{a b} 玉 那覇 有 公 . Iwano Art, 2012, accessed March 18, 2015 (Japanese). 

Web links

• 玉 那覇 有 公 . Japan Kōgei Association,accessed March 18, 2015(Japanese, with illustrations). 
• 人間 国宝 琉球 紅 型 玉 那覇 有 公 ~ 清 き 思 い を 精緻 な 型 型 に 託 し て ~ . Ginza Motoji, 2015,accessed March 18, 2015(Japanese, with illustrations).