The fourth indigo

In late July, I made indigo in the fourth vat.

I had planned to limit myself to three of the four this year, but the indigo color of the three faded faster than I expected, so I still wanted to dye some darker colors and decided to add some more.

Building an Ai requires a tremendous amount of energy, both physically and mentally, so to be honest, I was hesitant to build all four.

My children are still small, and I am not yet perfect myself, so I wonder if I will be able to manage and dye all four indigo colors...

However, I still like the deep indigo color, and it will soon get hotter, making it the perfect weather for dyeing, so it would be a shame to only be able to dye light colors! With this in mind, I started working on the fourth jar.

With the help of Mr. M from Mino, who always comes to help with the indigo planting, we were able to build the indigo plant for the first time in the warm season of late July.

There is no need to worry too much about temperature control, and the dyeing process is going smoothly. The dye is deep and has turned out well, as expected.

The time spent putting the cloth into the jar and pulling it in with your hands to dye it, and the time spent pulling it out and letting it oxidize and watch the color change,

I love every step of the process, even rinsing with cold mountain water.

The indigo is dyed through the action of the microorganisms in the jars, but it all begins in the soil, and it is the indigo that is growing in the fields in front of me that makes indigo dyeing possible, so I am always grateful from the bottom of my heart to the soil, and to the rain and sun that are necessary for indigo.

During this season, whether it's hot and humid until you're drenched in sweat, or it rains so much that you get soaked even with an umbrella, I feel grateful in either situation.

High temperatures and lots of rain are opportunities for indigo to grow. What a joy it is to be given this opportunity!

When I lived in town, when it was hot and humid I just wanted to stay in an air-conditioned room, and when it rained heavily I hated it because I would get soaked.

However, living with Ai has taught me to be grateful in any situation, and for me this has helped me to stay humble and is something I am extremely grateful for.

When my main work was in an office, I thought I could make a living just from that, but working on indigo dyeing, which is blessed by nature and has many uncertainties, has of course been difficult, but it also makes me feel truly alive, and gives me a sense of comfort as my body, mind and nature become one.

I imagine that this may be the joy of living that our ancestors experienced as well (or even more so). (Although it may have been so obvious that it was hard to put into words like this!)

We are planning to harvest the first indigo soon. This year's yield may be about half of the usual amount, but when I think back to May when I was praying that the seeds would at least continue to grow, it looks like we will be able to harvest more leaves than I expected.

There are many different situations in life, and sometimes you can't move as you want. Also, there are years when the weather conditions are unpredictable.

It's difficult to keep harvesting the necessary amount every year, but that's what makes it interesting.

Indigo doesn't dye the fabric the same way every year, so I'm always excited to see new colors.