How Japan's 800-year-old indigo dyeing process is still standing

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A worker shovels a pile of fermenting indigo leaves

Transcript

00:00These threads are being dyed with natural indigo.

00:05While this used to be the only way you could dye clothes this color,

00:09it's becoming a rarer and rarer sight.

00:12The invention of synthetic indigo meant the natural stuff was nearly bleached from existence.

00:18Within a couple of decades, global production of the plant-based dye had dropped 90%.

00:24The multibillion-dollar fashion industry of today relies on cheap synthetic indigo made with toxic chemicals,

00:31which can pollute waterways and threaten animal and human health.

00:36Now, some people are looking to increase production of natural indigo as a more sustainable option

00:42and a way to keep the art form alive.

00:45But natural indigo has its own environmental costs.

00:49So which version will permanently dye the fashion industry?

00:53And can the art of natural indigo dyeing stand the test of time?

01:00For centuries, natural indigo was a lucrative industry in Japan's Tokushima Prefecture.

01:06Originally reserved for the upper class, the dye eventually became so widespread it was dubbed Japan Blue.

01:14But once synthetic alternatives came on the scene in 1897,

01:19it only took a couple decades to wipe natural indigo almost completely off the map.

01:26Kento Watanabe is one of a handful of producers still growing and dyeing with the plant today.

01:34It's more like a life's work than a job.

01:43It's part of my life.

01:46Watanabe's indigo dye is called tsukumo, a product unique to this area of Japan.

01:53Unlike most fabric dyes, indigo is not soluble in water.

01:58So producers must first process the leaves into something that can dissolve before they can use it to dye clothes.

02:05Natural materials like cotton, linen, or wood absorb dye best.

02:14But Kenta has been known to get creative.

02:28He says dyeing should be done slowly and in layers.

02:59Most of the world separates the indigo pigment from the plant, forming a powder or compressed puck.

03:06But tsukumo uses whole leaves.

03:10Fermentation is necessary to change the water-insoluble indigo molecule into its water-soluble form, leucoindigo.

03:18In this form, the dye can penetrate fabric.

03:21But once it's exposed to oxygen, it reverts back to indigo, making the color permanent.

03:26Late in the year, when the temperature cools down, Kenta and his team spread out bags of dried indigo on a dirt floor and pile them up.

03:35They sprinkled a pile with water, a necessary ingredient to fuel fermentation.

03:41The dye is then mixed with water to form the dye.

03:44The dye is then mixed with water to form the dye.

03:47The dye is then mixed with water to form the dye.

03:50The dye is then mixed with water to form the dye.

03:53The dye is then mixed with water to form the dye.

04:00Fermentation is necessary in most methods of natural indigo production and usually takes three to four days.

04:08This pile of wet leaves will ferment for 120.

04:13Once a week, the team shakes things up.

04:16If the bacteria are alive and well, the pile should be wet, hot, and smelly.

04:23After four months, Kenta bags the leaves and lets them rest for six months as they undergo another round of fermentation.

04:33After four months, Kenta bags the leaves and lets them rest for six months as they undergo another round of fermentation.

04:42The amount of fermentation time is a balancing act.

04:54Composting them this way results in a dye vat like this one

04:59Composting them this way results in a dye vat like this one

05:03that can be used much longer than ones made with quick fermentation methods.

05:08As long as it's properly cared for.

05:12A vat of sukumo dye is a living thing.

05:15The bacteria inside aid fermentation and consume oxygen in the dye solution,

05:21keeping the yellow luko indigo from turning blue before the time is right.

05:27Part of Shinya's job is teaching customers how to raise a vat.

05:42Shinya constantly has to check that the vat has everything it needs.

05:51Every morning, he samples each vat and logs its progress.

06:22The first step to raising an indigo dye vat is creating the perfect home for fermentation.

06:28Do you know what this is? Can you guess?

06:40Is this some kind of ash?

06:44Yes, it's wood ash.

06:50Wood ash is mixed with water.

06:53When the ash settles, it leaves behind highly alkaline liquid.

06:58It's a type of bacteria that can't survive without a strong alkaline environment.

07:04So this is their home.

07:08They also need food. Wheat bran, in this case.

07:12Seashell ash acts as a supplement, providing minerals and more alkalinity to the solution.

07:19In the first two months, the dye turns dark brown.

07:27Then it slowly turns light brown.

07:35Kenta and his employees work overtime to keep Watanabe's running in a shrunken industry.

07:42Tokushima Prefecture, where Kamita is located, grows 70% of Japan's natural indigo.

07:49But that's only about 42 acres of indigo fields in total.

07:53At the industry's peak in the early 1900s, Tokushima was home to 37,000 acres.

08:01The decline was all thanks to synthetic indigo.

08:05Natural and synthetic indigo molecules are identical.

08:10And it's the only molecule that produces the specific blue hue genes are known for.

08:17It's hot today, so I'm not wearing anything, but I'm making my own denim.

08:22Synthetic indigo replaced natural indigo for a simple reason.

08:27It's cheap.

08:29Synthetic indigo costs around $3 per pound.

08:33Natural indigo runs about $54 per pound.

08:37Part of that price gap has to do with supply.

08:41Manufacturing the world's denim consumes about 55,000 tons of synthetic indigo annually.

08:48Compare that to natural indigo.

08:51Only a few hundred tons are produced each year.

08:54Watanabe sells its largest dye kit for over $1,000.

08:59It comes with almost eight pounds of sukumo, plus all the ingredients for a healthy dye and a 20-gallon plastic vat.

09:11On top of costing more, natural dye is often less potent.

09:17But the synthetic version has its downsides, too.

09:21Preparing synthetic indigo for dyeing requires a slew of toxic chemicals,

09:26like aniline, formaldehyde, and hydrogen cyanide.

09:30These chemicals pose a health risk to textile workers and pollute the water used in the dyeing process.

09:36According to a 2023 study, each year about 1.84 billion tons of wastewater from the textile industry are disposed of without proper treatment.

09:48Watanabe's pours its wastewater back into its fields to fertilize the next crop.

09:54And Kento says his solution is safe to stick your hands into.

09:59But scaling up natural indigo production could prove difficult.

10:03As much as 10 million acres of land would be needed to produce enough natural indigo to serve the fashion industry, according to some estimates.

10:12To put that number into perspective, that's about the same amount of land dedicated to growing cotton in the U.S.

10:20Some experts are skeptical growing that much indigo is even possible.

10:25Watanabe says it's not possible.

10:27Some experts are skeptical growing that much indigo is even possible.

10:32Watanabe's works with two and a half acres.

10:38In March, Kento sows the seeds from last year's harvest.

10:42He transplants the seedlings to the fields by May.

10:45Between May and July, workers maintain the crop, weeding by hand, machine, and goat.

10:58Kento founded Watanabe's in 2018.

11:02Before that, he studied for three years with a local indigo master.

11:28There are only a handful of sukumo masters in Tokushima today.

11:40There are only a handful of sukumo masters in Tokushima today.

11:57For Kento, innovation is a necessary part of keeping the tradition of sukumo alive.

12:08For Kento, innovation is a necessary part of keeping the tradition of sukumo alive.

12:16He hopes to eventually increase his farm to seven and a half acres.

12:28I try to do this every year.

12:34Sorting and drying the leaves is one area where Kento is trying to improve efficiency.

12:39When working by hand, workers must separate the stems from the leaves,

12:44since the leaves are the only part of the plant that contains the dye compound.

12:57I'm drying the stems together with the leaves.

13:01After drying, I separate the stems from the leaves,

13:05just like you saw in the video.

13:10Trying out new machines like this is part of Kento's effort

13:14to reduce the amount of labor needed in the hopes of scaling production.

13:17I find that the present, very realistic way of growing,

13:23or the way of producing fruits

13:27doesn't match the way they are being produced nowadays.

13:34If we continue like this, we'll grow fewer and fewer.

13:41After a year of careful production, the sukumo is ready to be used.

13:45is ready to be used.

13:48Because it's made from natural ingredients,

13:50this dye will have impurities and inconsistencies

13:53that synthetic dyes don't.

13:56Most see that as a feature.

14:11Colors also vary from that to that.

14:15For example, if you want a bright color,

14:17you can use a young, healthy liquid.

14:19But if you want a light color,

14:21you can't get a light, beautiful color

14:23with a young liquid.

14:25So you have to use

14:27the liquid of a veteran grandpa.

14:31We manage the liquid

14:33because we are animals.

14:39We can manage

14:41the liquid for a long time,

14:43but we can't let it go bad.

14:47The liquid is colder than I thought.

14:49It's about 25 degrees now.

14:55You can't make it too warm.

14:59Since each vat

15:01is a living ecosystem,

15:03Shinya says it's necessary to avoid

15:05overworking the dye.

15:07It's interesting.

15:09If you work too hard

15:11when you're young,

15:13you'll age faster.

15:19If you don't let it work,

15:21for example, if you make it,

15:23but you don't dye it much,

15:25you'll be lazy,

15:27and just a little dye

15:29will change the color.

15:31It's the same with humans.

15:33It's a little strict,

15:35but don't be too strict.

15:37If you raise it with love,

15:39it will give you

15:41a beautiful color

15:43for a long time.

15:47Vats are productive

15:49for about eight months.

15:53After a month

15:55or two,

15:57after a few days,

15:59the bacteria

16:01will age like humans

16:03and become thinner.

16:07Shinya's goal for the future of his workshop

16:09isn't to replace synthetic indigo

16:11in the fashion industry,

16:13but to teach as many people as possible

16:15about the art of sukumo.

16:17I'd like to take sukumo

16:19and other materials

16:21and go on a world tour.

16:23I'd like to experience

16:25all kinds of things

16:27by taking them

16:29around the station

16:31in my car.

16:35Hosting workshops

16:37at places like the Grand Front Osaka Mall

16:39exposes the art to people

16:41who may not learn about sukumo otherwise.

16:43It's still uncertain

16:45whether scaling up natural indigo production

16:47could solve the fashion industry's

16:49issues with denim.

16:51But Kenta believes

16:53sukumo is worth saving regardless.

17:15That's all I'm thinking about.

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