#imajinspires: Indigo Day with BUAISOU

"From farm to closet"

 

BUAISOU was founded in 2012 to succeed the tradition of Japanese indigo farming and dyeing. They not only farm and grow Persicaria Tinctoria, which is the plant used to make the Japanese indigo dye, but they also have also expanded to create a fermentation facility where they host dyeing workshops in Tokushima, Japan.

 Indonesia has a lot of history with indigo dyeing too but the plant we use are different from Japan's. Our plant species called Indigofera Tinctoria are native to tropical climates. This plant is also used to create the color blue in all IMAJI Studio pieces.

Very different from Indonesia, Japanese indigo needs to be harvested and cared for a year-long process because of their four seasons. Buaisou has perfected the creation of indigo dye through learning from their indigo master in Tokushima using traditional Japanese methods. The methods include a four month period of fermenting the dried leaves into what they call sukumo to create a stronger dye.

In this workshop we learnt the step-by-step method on creating the vat using theirsukumo and experimenting with shiboridyeing techniques ourselves. When creating the vat, they need to care for it in a 10-day process to make the deep blue. Their methods are keeping the bacteria within the vat alive to create stronger dye. All processes are without any chemicals and is done by using local resources.

What's inspiring about Buaisou is their perseverance to preserve traditional methods and share them with a wider audience so that it isn't forgotten. We should mimic their passion and patience in creating products that appreciates their process and the makers.

To learn more about Buaisou, head to http://www.buaisou-i.com

 

Written by Imaji Studio