The House where Indigo Lives

4 Mar 2008 Category: Craftwork, Japan, Tradition

The House where Indigo Lives

An indigo dye workshop built in the Edo period. It is here where Tadashi Higeta tends his vats of dye, full to the brim with foaming blue liquid. Indigo was once a pillar of Japanese domestic life, and has now been pushed to the wayside. This quiet, intellectual man is keeping his family tradition alive.

Interviewed by Takafumi Suzuki
Translated by Claire Tanaka



When was this indigo dyeing workshop founded?

It was founded over 200 years ago. They say the person who started the workshop had lost a child, and was inspired by his grief to build a workshop where “people can come together”. This kagiya-style building was built in the latter part of the Edo period. I am the ninth generation at this indigo workshop.

Words like “ninth generation” and “Edo period” really give a sense of historical significance.

Well, I suppose it’s a sort of “preserving tradition for future generations” kind of thing, isn’t it. These days, young people aren’t familiar with indigo dyeing at all. But in the olden days, indigo dyeing workshops were called kouya and they were all over the country. Here in Tochigi prefecture alone, there were several hundred. Back in those days, the fabric of Japan was a beautiful blue. About eighty percent of Japanese clothing was dyed with indigo back then.


Mr. Higeta also does weaving.

Mr. Higeta’s loom.

What marked the beginning of the decline of the indigo industry?

After the Meiji period ended, a new chemical dye was invented that could cheaply dye large volumes of fabric, and I think that was the start of the decline. Indigo is a plant-based dye that has historically been used to dye fabric by various civilizations all over the world. Among all that, Japanese indigo had high acclaim as “Japan Blue” or “Hiroshige Blue”.

I see. Now, your workshop sure has a lot of vats. How many are there?

I’ve got a total of 72 vats here. We can dye everything from a light sky blue, to a deep, navy blue with these. There are about 30 different types, and each colour has it’s own name. I think that shows how complex the art of indigo can be.

A beautiful rhythmic sound emanates from the loom.

You’ve got a shop here as well at your workshop, haven’t you?

I figured it would be easy for people to see how the work is done this way. I also weave the fabric, and I want regular people to be able to pick up and hold the things I’m making. Up until I came back here at 23 years of age, I was in Tokyo studying under the dyer Yoshitaka Yanagi and I learned how to weave at that time.

Is it common for the heir to an indigo workshop to study weaving?

No. When I was young, indigo dyeing was already on its way out, so I figured I’d have a lot more possibilities open to myself if I studied weaving as well. But, I’ve always had that sort of “if you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself” attitude. I grow the cotton in the fields, spin the thread, dye the thread, then weave it. I’m involved in the whole process.

Dye made from natural materials results in gentle shades

Wow, you do everything? Despite indigo being a declining field, you still wanted to do it.

Yes. At the end of my teens, when I was worrying about what to do for a living, I was standing in the workshop with vats of indigo all lined up, and I was suddenly overwhelmed by the highly-charged atmosphere, and I thought to myself, “What a divine place. I want to spend my life here.”

Hmmm. But, both weaving and dyeing seem like tough industries.

With indigo dyeing, I was taught by my father when I was little, so it wasn’t that hard. But when I went to study weaving under Yoshitaka Yanagi, I had to get up early every morning, and the discipline was very strict. The toughest was when really important people would come to call. I was a country bumpkin who knew nothing, and I’d answer the phone, and on the other end there would be this high-class person using language I didn’t understand. I was just a kid from the sticks, and I had no idea how to respond at first (laughs).

Mr. Higeta’s passion for knowledge shows in his workshop.

Notes for school lectures.

He also makes these reference sheets.

This Mr. Yanagi must have been quite an important person!

You know the designer, Sori Yanagi? His father was the founder of the Folk Art Movement, Soetsu Yanagi, who was Yoshitaka Yanagi’s uncle. So you could say he came from good stock. The social connections were amazing too. Masako Shirasu was a well-known essayist who often came to call. That was really tough. I was the apprentice, so while my teacher was talking with Ms. Shirasu, I had to sit in seiza the whole time. They would talk for hours without a break. Thanks to that, I can sit for hours in seiza now without losing feeling in my feet (laughs).

The folk art movement comes up a lot in conversations with artisans. Have you found yourself influenced by this movement?

Yes. Here in Mashiko, we have a type of pottery called Mashiko-yaki. That Mashiko-yaki became nationally renowned when a potter named Shoji Hamada, who was a man deeply connected with the folk art movement, chose this neck of the woods to set up shop. My father received instruction directly from Mr. Hamada, but I was not able to meet him, so I try and learn more about his way of thinking by reading his manuscripts.

Lots of valuable books about indigo and folk crafts line the shelves.

Now that you mention it, you certainly have a lot of related books on your shelf here. You must have quite an inquiring mind.

Rather than that, I’d say I’m serious about forming my own philosophy. I went to the Leach Pottery in St. Ives, England to see the Japanese-style traditional kiln that Bernard Leach and Shoji Hamada built there in 1920.

If you’re willing to go all the way to England, then I’d call that an inquiring mind (laughs).

But when I went to England, what really impressed me was the pub culture there. That’s great. People drink and chat with people they’ve never even met before and live it up. For a craftsman living in the Japanese countryside like me, it was a whole new world. I had a really good time, and I’d really love to go back there again (laughs).

Goods for sale at the workshop.

His indigo studio built in the Edo Period has quite the atmosphere.

It would be great if you could pass on what you’ve learned to the next generation.

Yes, I agree. While it is a declining industry, indigo was once the pride of Japan. It’s not something we want to lose. I’ve been going to the local high school as a teacher for many years now. One of my students went to study in America and the cloth she made caught the eye of the designer Anna Sui and used in a fashion show. But even if I tell success stories like that to the high school students, they don’t really seem to understand the significance. I’m really proud of her though (laughs).

Higeta Aizome Kobo
Jonaisaka 1, Mashiko-machi, Haga-gun, Tochigi Prefecture

Tadashi Higeta
Born in Mashiko-machi, Haga-gun. Indigo dyer and weaver.

66 Comments

  1. I love the muted natural colours!

    Posted by: jonathan on March 7th, 2008 at 8:44 am

  2. I want to visit!

    Posted by: A. on March 8th, 2008 at 7:47 pm

  3. The beauty of traditional idigo dyed fabrics is so far superior to synthetic dyes. It is wonderful there people like this determined to keep alive these precious parts of Japanese culture. I hope he finds a student to carry forward the tradition.

    Posted by: Rob Coffland on March 9th, 2008 at 9:37 am

  4. omg. this is exactly the article I have been waiting to read!! thank you for telling me about this precious dyer ^__^

    Posted by: nyankorita on March 16th, 2008 at 10:11 pm

  5. an american man in san francisco is working with traditional indigo dyers in japan. he’s found a contemporary way to use the textiles, including hanks of indigo dyed thread worn as scarves. they are amazing. not much on his site, but here it anyway. http://www.indigojapan.com/

    Posted by: f. on March 19th, 2008 at 1:41 pm

  6. what a fascinating interview! thank you-

    Posted by: glennis on April 19th, 2008 at 11:42 pm

  7. Indigo is a magic for me. I visited Mr.Tadashi Higeta san and the House where Indigo Lives… I felt something very deep, antique and wise.

    Posted by: Milkana Meskin on January 3rd, 2009 at 8:26 pm

  8. amazing!!!!
    <3
    I
    am
    looking
    for
    indigo
    fabrics
    and
    failing

    Posted by: joyce on February 15th, 2009 at 12:32 pm

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  65. […] adding in a few photo’s I’ve borrowed from another blog http://make.pingmag.jp/2008/03/04/aizome/ who have been able to interview Tadashi Higeta who owns a 200 year old indigo dye house and who […]

    Posted by: Explain Japanese denim : « Dawson on January 30th, 2012 at 9:40 pm

  66. […] more interesting blog posts, visit Pingmag for a very touching interview of Tadashi Higeta, born in Mashiko-machi, Haga-gun, who is now an 8th generation Indigo dyer and weaver.  Also, […]

    Posted by: Is Japanese Indigo Dyeing, Dying? « textile incubator on February 9th, 2012 at 12:34 am

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