How Japan's 800-year-old indigo dyeing process is still standing

How Japan's 800-year-old indigo dyeing process is still standing

Natural indigo dye has been used worldwide for thousands of years, but the invention of synthetic indigo dye in the 1800s caused the industry to crater. In Japan's Tokushima Prefecture, only a handful of masters carry on the eight-century-old art of making a unique type of indigo dye called sukumo. However, the yearlong process of growing and fermenting natural indigo can't compete with the efficiency and low cost of synthetic alternatives. Beca…