AWAJI Ai LAND project (Onokoro Ai)

Japanese traditional color "Aiiro"-JAPAN BLUE-A living dye "Onokoro Ai" made with pesticide-free organic fertilizer on Awajishima

"Onokoro Ai" is a "living dye" made from the raw material, Tadeai, on the vital soil of Awajishima, without using pesticides or chemical fertilizers, with indigo cropping that can be added to the natural circulation as much as possible.

Using only raw materials obtained from the natural world, such as spring water, wood ash, and fusuma from Awaji, the dyeing solution is completed with the help of fermentation of microorganisms. This natural dyeing not only gives us comfort and gently protects it, but also has an earth-friendly sustainableness.

The pigment produced by natural fermentation by the power of microorganisms is highly robust and produces a very beautiful color. In addition, it strengthens the cloth and protects you from antibacterial effects and ultraviolet rays, and brings out the essential elements of indigo dyeing firmly.

In the experience, you will also visit Aihata on the premises and explain the process of making dyes from sowing seeds, and you will be able to see indigo dyeing using traditional fermented dyes that are carefully dyed indigo smoothly and carefully.

How about a trip to feel the indigo of natural dyes made from raw materials grown in Awajishima, rich in climate, which is a bit different from chemical dyes, and the terroir that is unique to deep blue?

STEP01 – Select the desired pattern from the pattern sample and pattern it using specialized tools.
STEP02 – Soak in the dyeing solution and dye indigo. Dye it over and over again to make it your favorite color.
STEP03 – Complete with water.

You can take home the finished work.

Indigo has long been popular not only as a dye but also as a medicinal plant, and is said to have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antioxidant, deodorant and deodorant effects. At the time, Ai is also an organic product. Due to these characteristics, there are many collaboration products with food and drink such as chocolate, bread, herb salt, and chai, in soaps and room sprays that can be expected to have medicinal properties using indigo.

About living dyes and circulation

<field making>
We use organic resources such as crepe scum, bamboo chips, and waste fungi beds to create soil in the field.
Indigo grows when the roots are firmly rooted in the rich soil.

<Making indigo dye solution>
Only the harvested grass leaves are sorted and dried, and during the winter, watering and turning dozens of times and fermented for about 100 days to become a dye called indigo sukumo.

The finished wood ash, such as jagged oak, oak, and lye (aku) are mixed to promote the activity of microorganisms. By the reduction action of fermentation, indigo pigment, which is insoluble in water, is melted out, and indigo dyeing is possible.

It's called a staining.

<Maintenance of indigo dye solution>
In order for the action of microorganisms to determine the appearance of the indigo color, we use "fusuma" and "shell ash" to create an environment where it is easy to operate and maintain.
Fusuma, the outer skin that is made when milling wheat, is bran, which is said to be rice. Minerals such as dietary fiber, calcium, iron, magnesium, and zinc serve as food for microorganisms and promote fermentation.

Shell ash made by baking shells is used to adjust the condition when fermentation progresses, and calms down the indigo dyeing solution.

About AWAJI Ai Land project

We use the power of microbial indigo fermentation, starting from the cultivation of a home-grown indigo, which is the raw material called “Onokoro Indigo”, and live dyeing with the power of microorganisms. This project aims to become a local industry through activities rooted in the community with the theme of dyeing and manufacturing, various experiences, and exploring the potential of indigo, which are spun from indigo.

In the 2021 NHK Taiga drama "Watch the Blue Sky", I participated as a production and guidance for a scene related to indigo.
I was excited to see the history of indigo that the color of indigo captivated people in the Edo period, with the painting of the dyed cloth fluttering.

I hope that you will sympathize with the nature cycle that you value and activities that make people and thoughts, and that you can add a rich color to your life with a bright blue color like an earth like the sea .