Indigo dyeing
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It's a long way from Mito. I think it would have been faster to take the train, but instead we all pilled into two small yellow-plate cars and took the long journey across the center of Ibaraki to get to Yūki, the home of tsumugi.
Tsumugi ("pongee fabric" in English) is not just another type of silk. It has a luxurious shine and feel that once you touch it, you don't want to put down. It is a fiber that is actually made from silk by-products, the cocoons themselves. You would never think that recycling could be so beautiful.
There are over 600 shops in Yūki that make tsumugi and between them they make approximately 6000 kimonos a year. It takes only 600 grams of tsumugi to make a kimono, but these could sell for 10s of thousands of dollars each.
Many of the tsumugi weavers are in fact farmers and tsumugi is not their main line of work. In the summer they work on the fields and in the winter they weave and grow silk worms.
However, we did not visit Yūki for the silk. We were on a mission to learn about the ancient art of indigo dyeing. Yūki itself is not famous for this, but it is one of only a few places left that actually practice it. We called in on a shop that is full of history.
The Inaba family have been running "Inaba Dyes" for over 100 years and 4 generations. But sadly this will all end soon. Mr. Inaba is almost 70, and none of his sons or daughters are interested in continuing the family tradition. They all would prefer to be salarymen or housewives.
They are one of only 6 shops in Yūki that specialize in dyeing tsumugi any color under the sun to create amazing kimonos out of. Inaba Dyes is one of only 3 that deal in indigo dyes.
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The shop is an amazing collection of bubbling pots and vats, full of color. You can almost imagine the olden days when business would have been busy and kimonos of endless colors would have been being created.
Mr. Inaba can make any color you could ask for using various chemicals. He showed me books and books of swabs of colors that he uses as a guide. "Computers can do what I do" he told me explaining why the old ways are better that the new.
It is in fact Mr. Inaba's wife that deals with the indigo dyes. She runs half of the shop as her hobby using natural dyes like indigo and bloodroot.
Indigo dye has a distinctive blue color. The natural dye comes from several species of plant, but nearly all indigo produced today is synthetic. Among other uses, it is used in the production of denim cloth for blue jeans. If you can find a place that uses natural indigo dyes you are very lucky.
According to Wikipedia
, in Japan, indigo became especially important in the Edo period when it was forbidden to use silk, so the Japanese began to import and plant cotton. It was difficult to dye the cotton fiber with anything except indigo.
Many years later the use of indigo is very much appreciated as a color for the summer kimono "yukata," as the blue sea and nature are recalled on this traditional clothing.
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Our experience trying out indigo dyeing was very fun. Everyone was able to make very different designs using various methods. You can use just your hands to keep some of the cloth undyed like I did, use elastic bands like in tie dyeing, tye it in clumps around special stones, wrap it around a barrel, or sew tiny stitches to make delicate designs.
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The dyeing itself wouldn't have taken more that 20 minutes, but the process is exciting. I think I dunked my hands into a freezing cold vat of blue goop more than 20 times before my design started to show its face. At first the dye looks almost brown, but the more and more you dunk it, the better and brighter the color becomes. After each dunk you have to shake out the cloth to allow it oxygen to help the dye to activate.
Finally the time came to wash out the residual dye and see what I had done. I had decided to make a scarf and it came out the most beautiful color. Parts were lighter than others and this is where I had used my hands to keep off some of the dye. We all hung up our pieces out the back of the shop to dry in the sun, and I spent the rest of the time watching and helping the others.
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Some people tried their hands at using bloodroot but the process is not as fun. All you have to do is leave it to cook in a pot of boiling water for 30 minutes. At least with the indigo it is more-hands on. It was so hands on that I ended up with it all over my clothes. Luckily I was wearing blue jeans, the color was very similar. Even though they lend you gloves and aprons, I would recommend wearing old clothes that you don't mind getting messy.
You can go any time to try out indigo dyeing at Inaba, but should call first as they may not always be in their shop.
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Costs start from ¥1000 to dye a handkerchief. I paid ¥3500 to dye a scarf. Various items made from cotton, silk and also Tsumugi silk are available for sale.
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You can also bring your own goods to dye, but they must be made of natural fibers such as cotton and silk. Nylon will not take in any of the beautiful colors. The price will be determined by weighing the goods.
Go and try it for yourself. The finished products make excellent souvenirs and it may be the only chance you get to try this dying art.
Inaba Dyes 稲葉染物店 (Yahoo map)94 Uramachi, Yūki-shi
Phone: 029-633-3304