紅花 | Benibana | Safflower | Fabrics #10

The dye Benibana comes from the Safflower plant, which produces a natural vibrant red, known as Beni ( 紅 ). The dye is usually used as a luxurious one, and the red is often reserved for children and events like the New Year. Also some new vocabulary, Dye is Senryou ( 染料 ) and the pigment Ganryou ( 顔料 ).[3] Benibana is a fascinating dye that whilst coming in many variations of yellow-red, it is mostly known for the red variation in Japanese textiles and KTC particularly denoting China, wealth and luxury in Early Japanese history (500-1500 CE). This vogue came into fashion heavily after the establishment of the Sakoku policies of the Tokugawa, which saw Beni Ganryou become fashionable in the early half of the 18th century and play a pivotal role in the development of Ukiyo-E and Kabuki culture into the Meiji period making Beni dyed and decorated Kimono highly sought after and emulated fabrics and garments as well a cosmetic product into the 21st century.

Orange Safflower (2017, CC1.0) PxHere

Interestingly, the Benibana is actually a relative of the thistle family. The plant itself grows between April and July, but is only picked for one week in July. They are then dried and processed to rid them of any yellow dye in a process known as Hanafuri ( Flower shaking ) in which the Red Beni colour appears. The Hanafuri is then pressed and left to ferment, for 2-3 days and then pounded with a pestle in a large mortar. This fermented Hanafuri is rolled by hand becoming Hana-mochi ( Flower Rice Cakes ). The Hanamochi must be left to sit in a straw-ash lye and cold water concoction, sometimes smoked Ume (Plum) and rice vinegar solution as well to let the red dye take to the mass as a transparent red or light pink dye, or soaked to make a deep red. This solution is then dyed into Floss silk, cotton, yarn and hemp. The leftover solutions of vinegar known as Sedimentation were often used to make Yuzen-zome ( Paste-resist dye technique | 友禅染 ) and Shibori-zome ( Tie-dye technique | 絞染).[1][3]

Safflower originates from Egypt, and was traded on the Silk Road into China via India before 400 CE.[14][15] Benibana is thought to have come into Japan from the Chinese leg of of the Silk Road around 473 CE.[15] Benibana then began being grown in the 7th century in Japan, being grown principally in the Yamagata area and was then known as Kurenai or Suetsumu-Hana.[1][3][15] Textiles extant from this time, such as the shoes of Empress Komyo (701–760 AD) and undergarments were made using Benibana and other weaves inspired by Chinese court weaves of the time also heavily use Benibana.[16][17] These textiles were heavily influenced by Tang China's love of Red as well.

Empress Komyo (1897, PD) Kanzan Shimomura

Restored Shoshoin Kara-Ori Benibana Nishiki (c700 CE) Shosoin Repository

Chinese adoration for red filtered into the Nara and Heian courts which kept this tradition of using Benibana in their textiles as Japan often followed Chinese trends at this time. After the death of Empress Komyo, Benibana was worn by gentile women as a cosmetic in the Heian court. Textiles from this period used Benibana as a lush background dye, or alongside Flower and Bird Motifs which were fashionable imports reflective of Song period Chinese paintings (between 960-1279).[15] During the Muromachi period (1336-1573), the Hanamochi or Benimochi (Red Ball | 紅餅 ) method was invented with the leaves being removed and immediately crushed into the Hanafuri to Benimochi method.[3]

Kitamae-bune (c1926, PD) Iida Yonezou

The next recorded instance of Benibana being used is in the records of  the Samurai Gamō Satoyasu (active 1587-1600) in 1595 as being cultivated in the Mogami prefecture.[15] In the Edo period the Fudai warlord Mogami Yoshimitsu (1546-1614?) began cultivating Benibana which was transported as Hana-Mochi along the Mogami river by Kitamae-Bune ( Northern Bound Cargo Ships | 北前船 ) to be taken to Kyoto.[1][14] The deep red was deeply coveted in the Edo period, as it was used to get around Muromachi period sumptuary laws which only became laxed by the middle of the 17th century.[2][3]

By 1684, the colour schemes of Kosode worn by the townspeople and Bakufu became darker at the bottom [and] lighter at the top ... as darker Kosode [used] more dye [to display wealth], ... requir[ing] deep pockets ... which became 'Iki' (1680s sexy). Popular dark dyes included Beni reds (amongst samurai) [or] Nise-kurenai ( Fake / 'Dutch' red「| 似せ紅 )] for the [Heimin]) ... [with a] pound of [Ganryou] ... said to be [equivalent to] a pound of gold.[4]

Tan-E which uses Orange, not Beni (c.1675-1679, PD) Sugimura Jihei

Single Sheet Tan-E (1698) Torii Kiyonobu I

In the Genroku era (1688-1704) Japanese art saw the rise of the coloured Ukiyo-E print, Tan-E ( Blue-Green and Yellow Prints | 丹絵 ) being the first coloured prints which used yellows, oranges and subdued greens in their colour schemes with washed out pallettes due to unstable pigment mixes from the availability of the dyes of the time. By the 1720's Beni-E ( Red Prints | 紅絵 ) came into Vogue, being Ukiyo-E made by taking a monochrome Sumizuri-E print and affixing the red Benibana colour atop the Sumizuri-E in a red-pink wash.[3][6] This process was created by  Izumiya Gonshirou ( 泉屋権四郎 ) between 1716-1719 who would have handpainted in all of his work in this style.[5][6]

Beni-E (c.1720, PD) Torii Kiyonobu I

From 1720 the technique used by the prominent Ukiyo-E Komin Okumura Masanobu ( 奥村政信 | 1686-1764), Nishimura Shigenaga ( 西村重長 | 1693-1756), and Ishikawa Toyonobu ( 石川豊信 | 1711-1785) between 1717-1764, in conjunction with the development of Urushi-E ( Lacquer Prints | 漆絵 ) which was developed between 1725-1744, by using Sumi ( Chinese Ink | 墨) which is applied with a brush using stronger red and yellow pigments than Tan-E, into red, black, yellow, green, and light brown.[5] Urushi-E is distinguishable from Beni-E as Nikawa (Animal Collagen Glue | 膠) is mixed with pigments atop Sumizuri-E to create the gloss effect of Lacquerware over the black lines of the image, usually details such as the Hair or Obi.[11] Many of these prints became part of the E-Goyomi ( Lunar Calendars |  絵 暦 ) genre which became popular at the time to reproduce using early tricolour prints, many in yellows, greens and browns.

Urushi-E (c.1728, PD) Okumura Toshinobu 

 The prints eventually began to use 2-3, then 3-5 colours as pigments became more reliable for the stability of their colour duration. As the international trade routes became more structural and supply chains more durable and standardised through Globalisation, access to pigments from resource rich countries, Blue for example from Afghanistan,[8] increased access for these pigment ingredients to countries with the money to pay for these products. 

Japan not being the most resource rich often had to barter for these goods and thus until the advent of Globalisation; in large part due to the mercantilism of Arabian, 'Indian' and European traders and the Silk Road in Asia; pigment was an expensive good almost akin to a luxury item if bought in bulk and so was used sparingly, or mixed with other products produced in Japan to create a more vibrant colour than the wishy-washy effect raw pigments produced in the early Edo period.  

Dried Komachi-Beni (2011, CC2.5) Say0001

Komachi-Beni Sasabeni (2017) NHK, TheKimonoGallery

With Beni, products such as Plum vinegar to create colours such as Hikari-Beni ( Shiny Red | 光紅 ) or Komachi-Beni  ( Arts district Red | 小町紅 ) which was used to make the red lip cosmetics worn by some practicing Geisha in the Edo period, which produces a deep, glimmering red which almost looks green in nightlights.[9][10][12] After 1744 Beni-E had developed into the Benizuri-E ( Crimson Painted Prints | 紅刷絵) which successfully mixed green and Beni into one print using two seperate plates for each of the two colours.[6][7] 

Benizuri-E (c.1744, PD) Ishikawa Toyonobu

By the Horeki era (1750-1765), it had become popular among the Samurai class to own and exchange  E-goyomi. These E-goyomi were the forerunner to full colour prints. The prints images which accompanied these images were said to resemble Chinese brocade, and it was pursued further to create the first full colour prints in Ukiyo-E by the Suzuki clan, a family of retainers of the Tokugawa clan. By 1764, this had given way to Nishiki-E ([Bashu] Brocade Prints | 錦絵 ) which adopted Beni as one of its main primary colours. Suzuki Harunobu ( 鈴木 春信 | 1725-1770) was the first to make Nishiki-E using a mechanised polychromatic image. This new development was brought about by the plethora of single use woodblock prints used to layer the image, so one for yellow, one for green and one for the Beni sections of the image.[13]

Nishiki-E (1765-1770, PD) Suzuki Harunobu

This use of Benibana made it a solid primary colour and pigment to use, and it continued its popularity as a pigment in Kimono worn by the wealthy and in Kabuki costumes. By the early 19th century, production reached its height with Benibana used as a dye for cosmetics and the Kyoto weaving industries.[15] 

Beni Dyed Kimono (c1850, PD) MET

During the late Meiji period the trade in Benibana infused fabrics decreased due to the increase in cheaper chemical dyes being imported from abroad into Japan which cheapened the image of Benibana textiles which could produce as vibrant a dye as their synthetic counterparts at a similar price-point, leading to the favouring of the chemical dyes and textiles.[15] During the 1950's and 1960's, the crafts process was reinvigorated and Benibana pongee was rediscovered and today Benibana is the prefectural flower of Yamagata.[1][14] This has allowed Benibana to have a new lease on life as a recognised traditional craft and with the use of the Showa-Benibana variant to make commercial dyes.[15]

Bibliography

[1] https://nitta-yonezawa.com/en/benibana

[2] See Sumptuary Laws in Bijin #3

[3] http://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/b/beni.htm

[4] The Genroku Osaka Bijin (1680 - 1700) from Bijin #3

[5] http://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/b/benie.htm

[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukiyo-e#Colour_prints_(mid-18th_century)

[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benizuri-e

[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapis_lazuli

[9] https://www.japanese-wiki-corpus.org/culture/Hikari-beni%20(red%20pigment%20made%20from%20safflowers).html

[10] https://dictionary.lingual-ninja.com/dictionary/%E5%B0%8F%E7%94%BA%E7%B4%85

[11] http://www.aisf.or.jp/~jaanus/deta/u/urushie.htm

[12] https://thekimonogallery.tumblr.com/post/162977389835/kakekotoba-what-fascinates-me-most-of-all

[13] https://picryl.com/media/standing-lady-fixing-her-hair-c65e8a

[14] http://www.kimono.or.jp/dictionary/eng/benibanatsumugi.html

[15] https://www.lib.yamagata-u.ac.jp/database/benibana/bunken/note.html

[16] Scientific evidence by fluorescence spectrometry for safflower red on ancient Japanese textiles stored in the Shosoin Treasure House repository, Rikiya Nakamura et al, November 2014, Vol 59, No.6, p.367, Studies in Conservation Journal

[17] https://www.kunaicho.go.jp/event/sannomaru/tokubetuten.html

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