Why is indigo Used for Countryside Cotton Kimono and Textiles?

Fermented indigo has been used in Japan for centuries.  It became especially commonplace in rural, agricultural areas for several reasons.  First, indigo was a very good dye for cottons and baste fibers (such as hemp and linen), which were more available than silks to the poorer segment of the population.

Secondly, indigo offered a way to add artistry to everyday wear.  Rice farmers and rural tradesmen and their families lived very hard lives, but the ideals of harmony, nature as art, balance and wabi-sabi (beauty that is found in imperfection) were still ever present and appreciated.  From a single indigo dye bath, complicated ikat, shibori, and stenciled patterning could be created.

Thirdly, indigo is said to repel insects and snakes that would otherwise bother farmers in the fields, or bugs that would otherwise take up residence in the open-walled Japanese houses.

Chemical indigo dyes have been used for decades  - a cold vat process which yields a deep blue with only a short time in the dye - but when those textiles fade, they fade to a gray color.  Natural indigo dyeing is a fermentation process, requiring tight controls over heat and bacteria levels in the vat and requiring many, many dippings (20-50) in order to get the deeper eggplant shades.  Natural indigo dyes get deeper and stronger with age but eventually when they do fade, they are still blue (not gray).  It may take a well-trained eye to differentiate unfaded chemical and natural indigo, but a trained nose may be able to detect the very distinct indigo dye smell.

Relevant Videos

The Story of Mrs. Chiba

Japanology - Part 1 of Aizome (Indigo Dyeing)

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A Short History of Japanese Textiles

Japanese Country Textiles, by Anna Jackson

Wikipedia: Indigo

Japan Country Living, by Amy Katoh

A Short History of Japanese Textiles, by Kimonoboy