2013 Maiwa Textile Symposium

Japanese Indigo

Bryan Whitehead

In this two-day workshop on Japanese indigo, Bryan will give the details of his entire indigo process from seed, to plant, to fermentation, to dyed cloth. He will open with some fundamental facts about indigo before focusing on the growing, harvest, and culture of indigo as it exists in Japan.

Students will experience sukumo, the fermented indigo compost used in traditional Japanese dyeing. Students will learn important techniques for yarn dyeing, understand the property of indigo adherence through gradient dyeing, and see how indigo binds with linen, silk, wool, and cotton. We will also learn about the complex shibori structures the Japanese have developed and their special suitability to this dye. The class will conclude with a quick peek at katazome stencil dyeing.

Instructor Bio

Originally from Vancouver, Bryan Whitehead now lives in a small mountain village in Japan. On the shady side of the slope in a house perched on a ledge reached only by a narrow twisting road, Bryan has a small silk and indigo farm. With traditional tools he reels the silk before spinning and weaving on an antique loom.