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The incredible blue of Japanese natural indigo is often referred to as "Japan Blue"
Japan has a deep history as it pertains to colors,
and the Japanese people have a long tradition of using different words to
refer to grades of colors that are almost imperceptively different from each other. Put simply, Japan has a unique way of thinking
about color with each shade and hue having its own history and meaning.
If take the color black as an example, it seems a simple enough color.
Black is black, right?
But there are actually many types of black,
one historical example being a shade of black created by the famous swordsman Kenpo Yoshioka which became a black used as a stylish status symbol
by the upper class many centuries ago.
Another black became popular with samurai warriors
in the end of the Edo period (1603-1868) as it was believed that
this particular black dye made the fabric dyed with it so hard and tough
that it resisted even that most dreaded weapon of the day - the katana sword.
In another colorful example from history,
the beautiful blue of natural indigo was loved (again, by samurai warriors)
in the Kamakura period (1185-1333) firstly because the
beautiful shade came to represent victory and
also because the indigo itself had antiseptic and detoxifying properties.
In fact, the color was actually called "kachi iro" which
translates to "the color of victory".
It was used for both armor and for the drawstrings found in kimono.
As synthetic indigo gained popularity,
however, dyeing with natural indigo fell out of favor,
and the entire skill and art almost died out completely.
Luckily, a small number of indigo producers and master craftspeople has
preserved this precious tradition right up until the present day,
passing the art from generation to generation.
At Samurai Jeans, we also want to promote and preserve this valuable tradition and
use natural indigo in certain cases to be able to send this beautiful and
important part of Japanese history and tradition out into the world.
It's said that by carefully and repeatedly dyeing each skein yarn with
indigo you can actually make each individual thread beautiful and
bring out its unique texture while imbuing it with the sublime blue of natural indigo. While there are certainly many indigo dyes and fabrics from overseas these days,
there are also some fabrics that can only be made here.
It's the knowledge, experience, and passion of the craftspeople here that
make all this possible, along with Samurai's insatiable drive to
create the best products possible.
Even though we sometimes initially hear,
"That might be difficult or even impossible to do" from our beloved craftspeople,
there are some who still take up the challenge even when
the request seems unreasonable or the goal impossible.
All of these people together give shape and reality to what Samurai aims to achieve.
The results are fabrics beyond compare.
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