this is the japanese indigo plant, or polygonum. in japanese, it's called tadeai. ai is indigo as in 'aizome' means indigo dyeing.
this is what it looks like dried. the leaves can be used directly to dye, but this is not really ever done. 
tadeai is fermented in a big bucket. it's really a huge bucket, the size of an oil drum.
and goes into this vat, which is 1 meter deep.
dyeing a silk scarf using oxidation to get a deeper color: one minute in the dye, one minute in the air. *repeat.*
silk scarf
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3 comments:
Hi there, I've been following your blog for a little while now, and am completely intrigued by the classes you keep taking in Kyoto.
Would you suggest any of these classes for State side people to take if they have NO Japanese language skills? Because travelling to Kyoto would be a perfect honeymoon trip (in my book at least).
Please do tell,
thanks,
Christa Z.
hi christa,
thanks for reading:-)
the classes in this post (and in the next few to come) are all designed for total beginners, and i think they would be enjoyable for non-japanese speakers.
of course, every class and lesson and teacher will vary in terms of how much or how little english they can speak or understand, but these classes are all marketing themselves to foreign visitors.
and of course you might not be able to get the same amount of information as someone who speaks japanese, but in general you should have no problem trying the technique and having something to show for it.
i think kyoto would be a great place for a honeymoon!
feel free to contact me directly if you have more questions/want more advice:-)
hi im going to do that thing as well =D im so excited...i was lookin for pics of the dyeing process and came across ur blog. it looks fabulous and fun !!
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