Japan also has a long history of using natural indigo dye. The oldest trace is found from BC 600s in the Syousouin archive. Tokushima used to be (and still is) the main natural Indigo dye stuff producer in Japan dating from 1600s Edo periods. Even though indigo dying technique is practiced everywhere in Japan, the sukumo indigo dye stuff production took place mainly in Tokushima/Awa region.
In japan they grow mainly Tade Ai (Persicaria tinctoria) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persicaria_tinctoria plant for extracting indigo. The plant suits for colder temperature compare to Indigofera tinctoria (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigofera_tinctoria) which is an indigo plant grown in India and other southern Asian countries. It contains more indican than woad (European kind) but less than Indigofera tinctoria.
After the leaf is harvested (they harvest 2-3 times from the same plant), it is dried and put into fermentation process. The fermentation takes 100 days in winter months (Sept- Dec) and made into Sukumo. This sukumo making is the special trade of the Tokushima/Awa region.
In 2024 January, I had a chance to visit 3 facilities in Tokushima and participated in hands-on indigo dye workshop to exparience the sukumo küpe/vat dyeing. I also made research about the sukumo making and dying process which I document at this RESEARCH section.
Here are the three places I visited:
Ai-no-Yakata (House of indigo) 藍の館
This is a public indigo museum from Aizumi town (even the town name is indigo living town!), and is a renovated old house of an indigo merchant. The house is turned into a museum to show the process of sukumo making and indigo dying with very nice dioramas, to exhibit the house itself to show the lives of the merchant, and the indigo dye workspace to hold workshops for visitors.
Indigo Dye workshop at the Ai-no-yakata >>
Waza-no-yakata (house of skills) 技の館
This is a public facility from Kamiita town, which is still the main producer of the sukumo. The facility promotes to show the indigo making to indigo dying process to public and often crowded with school students. Luckily, the day we went there was off-season and we were the only participants of the workshop. They also have an indigo farm field and they grow, harvest and ferment indigo to sukumo in the building. Public can participate in these making processes as volunteers.
Indigo Dye workshop at the Waza-no-Yakata
Furusyo Dye factory (古庄染工場）
Furusyo Dye factory is a small dyer near Tokushima city center. The chef Mr. Furusyo holds craftsman’s title. When we visit them, there were Mr. Furusyo, the chef, and an employee, his daughter working there. And as far as I understood the father of the chef was also a dyer… it is a family business.
The factory is located next to a small river, and inside is packed with tools and materials… looks a bit chaotic but I can imagine it is super practical when you work there. It is a place to work.
Indigo Dye workshop at the Furusyo Dye Factory >>
