What is indigo dyeing?
"About indigo building ①"
Just because you got Sukumo, it doesn't mean that you can dye it immediately.
This is because the pigment cannot be dissolved as it is in neutral (7ph) water, so-called ordinary water, unlike the general plant dyeing method in which leaves and roots are boiled. Therefore, pre-work is required to make it ready for dyeing.
The work is called "Aidate".
It is not an exaggeration to say that the work of fermenting and reducing the indigo pigment to water using the reducing bacteria in the 蒅 will determine the finish of the subsequent dyeing, which is very important. It's work.
From here before dyeing, it is the work of a person called "Someshi, Dyeing Master" or "Kouya".
(* In modern times, there are dyers who do everything from cultivating Tateai to making 蒅 and dyeing.)
The raw materials required for "Aiken"
[蒅] Fermented Tateai.
[Lye] A strong alkaline (10 to 13 ph) solution extracted by pouring boiling water into wood ash.
[Lime] Strong alkaline powder. That white powder that draws the line of the ground.
[Sake] Sugar to help the activity of bacteria.
[Bran] This is the sugar that is produced when wheat is ground and is used to support the activity of the fungus.
[Water] It is desirable to draw soft natural water, which is my current goal. Fortunately, tap water in Sapporo is good quality soft water.
[Invitation indigo] A dyeing solution containing active reducing bacteria that has already been used for dyeing, and promotes fermentation more smoothly. (Some people build it without putting it in.)
It is better to let the 蒅 lie down a little, but all of them should be of good quality and fresh.
This method that does not use any chemicals is called "natural lye fermentation".
In the mixed liquid, reducing bacteria that prefer the strong alkaline environment in the 蒅 work and fermentation starts by maintaining the optimum temperature. At this stage of fermentation, the pigment changes to a water-soluble one for the first time, and it is ready for dyeing. However, the indigo color component is not yet blue in the dye liquor. By exposing what is soaked in the dyeing liquid to the air and causing an oxidation reaction, the color finally develops indigo.