This is a series that covers the classes of skilled dyeing expert Masaru Hori-sensei, and looks at the “something” we must value. We will be resuming the series which we have been publishing since last year. Part 5 is about indigo dyeing, which was the final dyeing class for the first year students, and about what the students came to see after finishing the classes.
We grow indigo at the school, and use them in workshops for fresh leaf dyeing and dry leaf dyeing. Some years, Hakko-date (fermented construction) has been a part of the second year students’ curriculum. The world of indigo is profound, but as an introduction to indigo dyeing, in the first year student’s dyeing class, we worked with Kagaku-date (synthetic construction) using synthetic indigo (Indigo Pure).
At the beginning of the class, there was a lecture on the basics of indigo. Indigo dyeing can be done without ever using fire. Since indigo pigments do not dissolve in water as it is, they are temporarily dissolved in water (alkaline solution) through a process called reduction. Then, the fiber is dyed with a reduced (deoxygenated) liquid, and exposed to air to oxidize. It is difficult to understand the mechanism of how the color develops in indigo dyeing, just by listening. Class is a place to “try it out.”
For Kagaku-date (synthetic construction) used in this class, we first create a stock solution by adding an alkaline agent and a reducing agent to the dye. Next, we prepare a dyebath, and by adding the stock solution, adjust it to the desired concentration (darkness). Hori-sensei shows a slightly greenish yellow liquid and tells everyone, "This is a vibrant color. Let’s remember this." It means that the indigo is in a condition that “dyes neatly and settles well." Then, the yarn is soaked in the dyebath, and rotated gently, avoiding letting in air as much as possible. "With indigo dyeing, the color doesn’t get darker by soaking it longer, so keep it short (2-3 minutes). If you want to make it darker, repeat soaking, wringing, and oxidizing.” Hori-sensei says.
As it comes into contact with air, the yarn raised from the dyebath changes from yellow to green to blue. The students leaned forward so that they wouldn't miss the instantaneous changes. After that, they tried itajime and shibori, designing their fabric under the guidance of Hori-sensei. In this class, students learned a completely different type of dyeing from the dyeing methods they had learned so far.
Indigo dyeing was the last of Hori-sensei's dyeing classes for the first year students. Students learned various techniques, starting with creating dyeing data, Kanzome, handling yarn, and natural dyeing. After finishing all of the classes, they shared how they felt.
About the synthetic dye data sample making class, one student said, "I felt safe having the samples. When I learned how to dye at university, I felt nervous about dyeing because I didn't have samples, but here, I was able to work with confidence." About the Kanzome class, another student said, "I was able to learn the basics of color, which is to create colors from the three primary colors. I learned from seeing the changes in the color happening in front of my eyes." In the class linked to weaving, a student said, "When we were dyeing to create the color we wanted, Hori-sensei would think from the same perspective as us, the students. That was why we were able to persist until we were satisfied with the result." A student who learned dyeing for the first time at the school smiled and said, "I am confident that I too can do it, because even though I didn’t know anything, I was taught properly from the start.”
What all the students said was that it was "exciting" to dye. A thought came to mind, after seeing them speak so enthusiastically about learning to dye, even after the classes came to an end. Hori-sensei may have sown seeds of excitement in the students’ hearts. I hope that each student who has encountered dyeing through Hori-sensei’s class, and experienced the joy of it, will be able to nurture the joy of dyeing with their own hands from here on.
Continued to part 6 (final).
