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Guide Joe Reinhart
At Yufuin Mingeimura, they exhibit old tools and folk craft items from as far back as the Edo and Meiji periods. You can also take an easy indigo dyeing workshop.

Visitor Mamta Ahuja
We have indigo and natural dyeing techniques in India too. They’re very popular. I was told we can dye cloth ourselves in Yufuin. I can’t wait.

Indigo dyeing—called aizome in Japanese—is an ancient dyeing method that uses the leaves of annual plants of the Polygonaceae family as a base ingredient. In this volume of O-net, Joe and Mamta go to Kyushu Yufuin Mingeimura, where visitors can take an aizome workshop, to hear about the special qualities of indigo and the unique way indigo dye is stored in Yufuin.

A Dyeing Process Practiced in Japan for Centuries

	Yufuin Mingeimura is a facility where you can learn about the techniques of various industrial crafts, such as Japanese paper making or folk glass making. Today at the same facility we will try indigo tie-dyeing.
	Welcome to Mingeimura! My name is Sadako Mori. I teach indigo dyeing here. The color called indigo is a unique color that was well liked by everyday Japanese people since the Edo period. Here in Japan it has a history of over 1500 years. Okay, let’s jump right in! Figure out what pattern you want to make and then tie the fabric with rubber bands. The parts tied by rubber bands won’t dye blue—they’ll end up white.
	It’s nice to meet you. There is a lot of dyeing done in India as well. India was the major producer of indigo up until the nineteenth century. There are also stores with dyed goods, but only professionals do the dyeing, so this is my first time doing it myself. I wonder what design I should make….
	Even in Japan, Yufuin is one of a very few places where you can freely do indigo dyeing yourself. Okay, if you are finished tying on the rubber bands, next we’ll dye them. When exposed to air, the indigo dye oxidizes and turns blue. Dip the fabric in the vat a number of times until it reaches the tone you like.
	I want to make mine like the color of my eyes!
	Indigo dye is a non-toxic plant die, and it isn’t boiled hot like in kusaki-zome (natural dyeing) so it’s okay if it gets on your hands. Indigo is a fermented living thing. That’s why it doesn’t always come out the same color, and why you can make the only handkerchief or hand towel of its kind in all the world.

First choose the size of cloth you want. Twenty minutes later you’ll have a finished product.

Just wrap a rubber band around the cloth to make an infinity of designs.

Into the vat goes the cloth.

After dipping the cloth for one minute, take it out to expose it to air.

Repeat the steps four or five times until the cloth takes on the color you like.

Indigo Dye

The indigo plant (called Indigofera) is sown in spring, harvested in summer and then dried. Water is added to this dried product and let to ferment, becoming what is called sukumo in Japanese; indigo dye is a combination of this sukumo, lye, and lime. When these ingredients are placed in a large indigo vat and fermented, foam called “flower of indigo” forms at the top, at which stage the dye becomes most suitable for dyeing.

Enjoying the Colors of Indigo, One of Nature’s Gifts

	One thing that is special at Mingeimura is that we ferment our dye using hot spring water. Indigo in the indigo vat is a living thing, so sometimes during winter if you leave it alone it dies. Instead, we use hot spring water to control the temperature and keep the indigo vat warm.
	Cool! Only in Yufuin could you come up with that solution.
	Okay then, let’s rinse our dyed cloths with the hot spring water and then dry them.
	Oh, it’s warm! It feels good to put my hand in. It’s also nice because the cloth will dry quickly after rinsing.
	Finished! Ooh, that’s a lovely rustic color. The pattern is different on each side! The unpredictability of indigo dyeing is what makes it so fun.
	The colors and patterns of mine and Joe’s are completely different. It’s like I have my very own, special thing. I think I’ll bring it home with me.
	Things dyed with indigo are gentle on the skin and have antibacterial qualities. The indigo color is also ageless, can be used for years, and can be used by both men and women alike. You can use your cloth as a bandana or handkerchief, or whatever you like.
	Thank you so much!

Take off the rubber bands and rinse the cloth in hot spring water.

What color and pattern will emerge is always a surprise.

Finished making our original indigo-dyed cloth!

At Mingeimura, they sell aizome goods, Japanese paper, and other products.

Information

Kyushu Yufuin Mingeimura

1542-1 Kawakami, Yufuin-machi, Yufu City
TEL: 0977-85-2288
Business Hours: 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM (Front desk closes at 5 PM)
Open year-round (except for unscheduled closings in July)