Mogami Beni - Color of Mystery
The color red has deep cultural significance for the Japanese. Even today, children wear red at shrine rituals to ward off evil spirits, and brides paint their lips crimson to protect against misfortune. Of all red dyes beni, made from safflower, is considered the most precious. The Mogami River area in Yamagata has grown safflowers since the 16th century and is now Japan’s largest producer. Petals are dried and pressed by hand into flat ovals called benimochi for dyeing high-quality kimonos. There’s also a traditional beni lipstick that instead of red, produces a shimmering green effect loved for centuries by fashionable Japanese ladies.
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The color red has deep cultural significance for the Japanese. Even today, children wear red at shrine rituals to ward off evil spirits, and brides paint their lips crimson to protect against misfortune. Of all red dyes beni, made from safflower, is considered the most precious. The Mogami River area in Yamagata has grown safflowers since the 16th century and is now Japan’s largest producer. Petals are dried and pressed by hand into flat ovals called benimochi for dyeing high-quality kimonos. There’s also a traditional beni lipstick that instead of red, produces a shimmering green effect loved for centuries by fashionable Japanese ladies.
VIDEO BY MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF JAPAN
Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe
Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net
Follow us:
Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook
Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram
Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter
DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion
Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital
Check out our Podcasts:
Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify
Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts
Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic
Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer
Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher
Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein
#TheManilaTimes
#DailyNews
#Japan
#MogamiBeni
#Color
#Mystery
#Benimochi
#Red
#Culture
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CreativityTranscript
00:00 [Music]
00:07 [Music]
00:12 The colour red has deep cultural significance for the Japanese.
00:16 [Music]
00:20 At shrine rituals for children, they wear red to ward off evil spirits.
00:25 [Music]
00:29 At her wedding, the bride's lips are painted crimson to protect her from any misfortune.
00:34 [Music]
00:37 Of all red dyes, safflower produces the most precious colour, a unique hue called benin.
00:45 [Music]
00:48 The Mugami River flows through Yamagata in Japan's north-eastern Tohoku region.
00:54 This area is the country's largest producer of safflowers, which blanket it in yellow each July.
01:01 Safflower, or benibana, is a plant in the chrysanthemum family.
01:06 Its petals are used to produce red benidai.
01:10 [Music]
01:12 The first step is to harvest the flowers.
01:15 [Music]
01:17 Growers know the time is right when a red tinge appears at the base of the yellow petals.
01:23 The flowers are carefully picked by hand, one by one.
01:25 [Music]
01:28 Only 0.3% of each petal contains red pigment.
01:32 The rest is yellow.
01:34 Rubbing and rinsing washes out the yellow pigment, leaving only the red.
01:40 [Music]
01:42 The petals are then left to dry in the shade for several days.
01:46 [Music]
01:50 This causes a natural oxidation, which leads to its change in color from yellow to a deep red.
01:55 [Music]
01:58 Now it's becoming a perfect red.
02:01 [Music]
02:05 Next, it's pounded into a paste to facilitate more oxidation and deepen the red color.
02:11 [Music]
02:13 For easier drying, the paste is pressed by hand into flat ovals called benimochi.
02:19 [Music]
02:20 This is a luxury item. It takes about 300 safflowers to make each one.
02:24 [Music]
02:28 For textile dyeing, the dried benimochi are dissolved in water to extract the color.
02:33 [Music]
02:35 To dye a single kimono, over 2,000 benimochi are used.
02:40 [Music]
02:42 Safflowers have been grown in Morgami since the 16th century.
02:47 Thanks to their unique benimochi technique, Morgami beni became the dye of choice for high-quality kimono makers.
02:54 [Music]
02:56 300 years on, the colors of these garments are as vibrant as when they were made.
03:01 [Music]
03:04 For me, this color, beni, is a priceless legacy.
03:08 I feel very strongly that I must ensure that our tradition continues into the future.
03:14 [Music]
03:16 Benimochi are used to make traditional Japanese lipstick, too.
03:19 [Music]
03:21 The special process begins by soaking bunches of hemp together with benimochi.
03:26 [Music]
03:28 The classic technique is still used by this renowned Tokyo cosmetics manufacturer.
03:33 [Music]
03:35 Beni extract is applied as a thin, uniform coating to the inside of a small porcelain bowl.
03:42 [Music]
03:45 As it dries naturally, the red changes to a shimmering, iridescent green.
03:50 [Music]
03:52 This lipstick was highly fashionable in late 19th century Japan.
03:57 [Music]
03:59 What causes these color changes? It's still a mystery today.
04:05 [Music]
04:07 With a little water, the green turns red again.
04:12 But adding more layers gives a shimmering green effect that fascinated Japanese ladies of fashion for centuries.
04:18 [Music]
04:20 A tiny flower from deep in the countryside with a mysterious and lasting impact on a nation's culture.
04:29 [Music]
04:31 [Silence]
04:37 [Mouse click]
04:39 [Bell ring]
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