Kenta’s enthusiasm for all things indigo is infectious. During our tour, my daughter Liz and I recognized that his commitment to sustainable indigo farming and dyeing was a 12 out of 10.
We began our walkabout at his compost operation. The neighboring pig farm supplies manure, which is mixed with rice husks to create an all-natural fertilizer for his hungry indigo plants.
Across the street, we viewed one of his ten growing plots, which together cover one hectare—approximately the size of 2.5 football fields.
Our next stop was a former dairy barn equipped with a machine to chop indigo branches and blowers to separate leaves from stems. There were also four curious vehicles with wagons to assist around the farm.
Inside a translucent greenhouse, big blue tumblers were used to toss and dry the indigo leaves. Earlier in the spring, this space was used to propagate 50,000 indigo seedlings.
In the new building next door, last year’s harvest was stored on one side: 1.5 tons of dried indigo leaves.
On the far side, a specially constructed floor was ready for fermenting the indigo leaves. It consisted of a 30 cm layer of big stones, medium stones, small stones, sand, rice hulls, and clay.
On November 2, indigo leaves will be piled in the middle of the clay floor to begin their 100-day fermentation process.
Back at the dye workshop, Kenta showed us his logbook which records the condition of his 20 dye pots. Color samples and notations in the book displayed the strength of the indigo in each vat.
We particularly loved the textiles and handsome jerseys woven from Watanabe indigo-dyed yarns.
Just when I thought it was time for us to leave, Kenta invited me to dye a tenugui. It was a blast!
We folded the white fabrics into triangles and clamped them with wood blocks to create itajime shibori patterns. Then, we dunked the fabric packs into one of his plastic vats filled with indigo dye.
Now it was truly time to go! What a wonderful time we had, fully immersed in the world of a visionary and dedicated indigo expert.
I look forward to returning to Watanabe’s with the Blue Japan Indigo Tour next year to see what Kenta’s been up to. There’s no stopping him!
Watanabe’s Indigo Farm
314-10, Sebe, Kamiita, Itano, Tokushima Prefecture
More info: watanabezu.com
Getting There
Liz and I took a 3.5 hour bus from Kyoto Station to Tokushima Station, then a 20-minute train ride to Ishii Station, followed by a 15-minute cab ride to Watanabe’s.
The Farm MascotLet's not forget Himiko, Kenta’s eco-friendly weedwacker! Kimiko, who munches down indigo faster than you can say sukumo, only grazes around the outside edges of the indigo fields.
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ABOUT US: Okan Arts, a petite family business, is co-owned by mother-daughter duo Patricia Belyea and Victoria Stone. Patricia and Victoria sell Japanese textiles online, host creative quilting experiences, and lead quilting & textile tours to Japan.
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