Fisherman's flag

Tairyō-bata is the flag hoisted on a fishing boat upon a bountiful return. According to one theory, this type of flag was created around the middle of the Edo period (1603-1868) when the system instating a head of fisherman’s group was established to manage fishing rights. The design is usually auspicious motifs relating to the sea. The bold design created using the tsutsugaki dyeing technique transmits the spirit of the fishermen. Today, tairyō-bata can also be seen adorning boats during festivals, or at celebratory events such as weddings and birth celebrations.
Located
in Yonago city in Tottori prefecture, Matsuda Somemono-ten (dye shop) was established in 1702 and boasts over 300 years of history. The shop produced indigo dye products up until the start of the Pacific War. It is said that the fourth or the fifth-generation master went to Kyoto for training and acquired the tsutsugaki technique there. During the Edo period there were several dyeing establishments in Yonago, but only Matsuda Somemono-ten has survived today. The shop has remained in the very spot it was first established in the Yonago Hondōri Shōtengai shopping arcade.