There is a piece of cloth that was dyed by "Aigata" during the Edo period that I found several years ago at an antique market, and the color of it is a beautiful deep indigo without any cloudiness to it where it appears as if it layers over each other time and time again. The simple yet delicate decorative pattern is applied using a hand carved Ise Katagami (paper stencil) and has a unique texture.
Aigata is one of the traditional Japanese dyeing methods that is a resist dyeing technique in which paste is applied to the fabric using a stencil that has a pattern carved out, the fabric is then indigo dyed, and finally the paste is washed off to reveal the pattern. I wondered why I was so drawn to this piece of cloth. I think it is because of the texture of the material, the color of the natural indigo, and the appearance of the pattern. As I unraveled the charm behind this cloth, I began to think further whether it would be possible to create products with a similar depth and warmth using modern materials and techniques.
Tokuyuki Murata, a craftsman from the indigo-dyeing workshop "KosÅen" in the Ome area of Tokyo, who has dyed many of the products made by visvim for more than 10 years lent us his expertise and experience. Mr. Murata's indigo takes sukumo that is prepared by an indigo master in Tokushima, which gets fermented with a natural lye. This process is known as "Tennen Aku Hakko date" (Natural Lye Fermentation). The technique was established in the Edo period and because it is done with natural materials there is no guaranteed outcome of the fermentation. Proper knowledge and experience are required to determine the ideal temperature and humidity, alongside an ability to assess the condition of the indigo and lye to accomplish good fermentation. Fascinated by the colors it produces, Mr. Murata remains committed only to the "Tennen Aku Hakko date" (Natural Lye Fermentation) Indigo technique and continues his work to improve this method.
