Snuggling in the middle of blue and violet on a rainbow, indigo is a spirited shade that is harvested from a lengthy process that requires the purest of diligence and fervour. A craft that is treated with high regard, indigo farming currently faces an extinction rate similar to the fate of pandas. Thanks to the passion of establishments such as BUAISOU., the organic way of extracting indigo is still alive.
BUAISOU. was founded in 2012 by two Japanese indigo farmers and dyers, Kenta Watanabe and Kakuo Kaji, in Tokushima, Japan. This town is renowned for its indigo leaf farming and its tradition of composting the indigo leaves into SUKUMO. Using a traditional technique of fermenting SUKUMO in ash lye, calcium hydroxide, and wheat bran, BUAISOU. creates a so-called “hell vat”. The garments dyed in this 100% natural vat turn into deep and luminous “Japan Blue”.
BUAISOU. is now a team of four artisans with Yuki Ken and Yuya Miura on board. Preserving the tradition of Japanese indigo, the team strives to bring new vitality to “Japan Blue” through its artistic and functional creations. BUAISOU. has also set up a space in Bushwick, Brooklyn, that conducts workshops with the SUKUMO vat created with ingredients shipped from Tokushima.
Nookmag (N): From the farming process to creating the dye, what attracts you to the craft of indigo?
Buaisou (B): We are attracted to every process of creating our original colours by our own hands. You could never imagine that it is possible to “farm” colour, but this is what we do as a group of indigo farmer-dyer.
N: How long did it take you to master the craft and what kind of difficulties did you face?
B: We apprenticed under the master, Osamu Nii, the sixth generation of indigo farmer in Tokushima, Japan. He still comes to check our farm and NEDOKO (the room where SUKUMO is being fermented). We are still learning from him and would not dare say that we have mastered the craft.
The difficulty that we face is that we do both farming and dyeing in-house. Those are two separate crafts. We also produce our own collection of clothing and home items. There are so many things for us to learn.
N: Does the learning process ever stop?
B: Never. And we like that it doesn’t.
N: What does indigo mean to you?
B: We run our farm and live with the nature of Tokushima. Indigo is our life.
N: How is Buaisou’s indigo different from the rest?
B: Almost all mass-produced indigo products are dyed in chemical indigo. They have tags that say “Do not wash with white” because of colour transfer. However, our 100% natural indigo doesn’t transfer and mess up other fabrics. You can wash or wear with white.
N: Since you made a living out of indigo, how has it been the colour of your life?
B: There is a Japanese saying, “The indigo dyers clothes remain white.” We understand what it means. We are busy dyeing for our clients and not our own clothes.
N: What aspirations do you have for this craft?
B: Japan is a country of fermentation crafts, such as soy sauce, miso, natto, etc. Not many people know that indigo is one of them. Tokushima used to have more than eighteen hundred SUKUMO (fermented indigo leaves) farmers but now, there are only five left (we are the sixth new comer). It is in fact a “dying” craft. We think of indigo 24/7 and hope to find a way to revive this craft in this modern time and find a way to succeed it for the future.
N: What are some of the misconceptions that people have of indigo?
B: Some people have asked if our natural indigo is poisonous. It is absolutely not. Indigo leaves and even SUKUMO are used to be taken as medicine.
