(, literally "red style") is a traditional stencilled resist dyeing technique originating in Okinawa Prefecture. typically features a busy pattern of repeating nature motifs such as fish, flowers and fauna in a number of bright colours. is worn during traditional Ryukyuan festivals and traditional arts performances. dates from the Ryūkyū Kingdom period (14th century), when the island of Okinawa experienced an influx of foreign goods and manufacturing techniques. It is believed to have developed as a synthesis of Indian, Chinese, and Javanese dyeing processes. Terminology The term was noted in the early 20th century Okinawan usage by Dr. Yoshitaro Kamakura, a Japanese scholar, to refer to painting with dyes. was then defined by Kamakura after he had studied the ancient records as connoting cochineal red with cinnabar, which was imported from Fujian, China. Cinnabar red is the most important colour in the production of . Kamakura then concluded that the terminology of "applying " eventually began to refer to the colouring of cloth in general, including cochineal, yellow, indigo, and black dyes, which were applied on fabric over a rice-paste resist. History The techniques used in are thought to have originated in Southeast Asia (possibly Java, or perhaps China or India), and arrived in the Ryukyu Kingdom through trade during the 14th century. The Ryukyu Kingdom, having a strong trade system between Korea, Japan, China and other Southeast Asian countries in the 15th and 16th centuries, utilised fabric decoration techniques originating in these countries to create an independent style of dyework featuring nature-inspired designs reflecting the Ryukyu Islands. The abundant flora and fauna gave the resulting fabric a strong natural influence, resulting in the development of the designs typically seen in today. In 1609, Japan invaded the Ryukyu Kingdom, and trade with foreign countries was prohibited. Japan demanded tribute from the Ryukyu people in the form of handicraft production, and its people were forced to produce various fabrics, including the banana fibers cloths known as and . In order to improve the technique, the Ryukyu people invited foreign craftsmen to the island and had their own people travel abroad to master various craft techniques. The goods produced for the Japanese by the Ryukyu people were also judged by an exacting and high standard set by the royal authorities, resulting in the exported goods reaching a high level of craftsmanship that generated a strong desire for Ryukyu crafts and goods. In