Product Details
Seeds to Dye class 2025 / Overseas Edition
Registration open!
Workshop begins on March 3rd and runs for 10 weeks.
About Seeds to Dye Class
For the past 10 years, we have been teaching Seeds to Dye classes only to Japanese people, In response to demand, we have decided to offer an overseas version of our Seeds to Dye class online.
The Seeds to Dye class is an A to Z of Japanese indigo, from sowing indigo seeds to cultivation, making sukumo, making fermented indigo liquid, and dyeing.
The class will be like a diary of my year and will consist of videos, photos and explanatory PDF's. Q&A will also be available.
All classes are taught in English.
This online class will only be offered once a year.
The biggest challenge in producing Japanese indigo overseas is making Sukumo(Japanese composted indigo).There is almost no information on how to make sukumo, and since making sukumo requires a large amount of dried indigo leaves, I researched and succeeded in making sukumo using the smallest amount of dried leaves possible.
Using less indigo leaves does not make it easier. It allows more people to attempt to make sukumo from a small harvest.
It makes sukumo making more accessible.
I hope I can share this valuable experience and information with you.
Takayuki Ishii
*Seeds to Dye Class is a total of 10 weeks.
(From March 3 to May 11)
*New content becomes available each week over the course of 10 weeks and will remain available for 2 years from the date of purchase.
*All explanations are in English, taught by VIDEO and PDF with photos and text.
*PDF is available for download.
*Access to Q&A section with instructors answering questions 3 times a week.
*Questions will be answered once a week for 5 months (until October 12, 2025) after the end of the class.
*There is nothing special needed to prepare in advance.
This class is set up earlier than your Seeds to Dye time so you can be ready.
Most tools can be found on Amazon.
*The content of the class techniques and knowledge will be an original combination of Takayuki Ishii's experience and tradition.
*This class is a more detailed refinement of the content of my book The Way of Indigo.
Even if you can't put it into practice, it is still valuable to have it stored in your brain as knowledge.
*This class is offered only once a year.
Seeds to Dye Class / Overseas Edition
USD 500.00
10 WEEKS
- Sowing seeds / module 1
- Transplant to the field / module 2
- Harvesting / module 3
- Making sukumo / module 4, 5, 6
- Harvesting seeds & Quality of Sukumo / module 7
- Making fermented indigo liquid / module 8, 9
- How to dye & How to keep the condition / module 10
Sow seeds in seedling boxes.
How to manage cultivation in the seedling box until planting in the field.
Transitioning seedlings to the field.
Explanation of how to plant the seedlings and how to fertilize and water them.
Reap the indigo.
Separate the leaves and stems in the most optimal way and dry.
This is my original method of making Sukumo.
Aiming to make the method as home-based as possible, we have devised a method that can be done with the smallest amount of dried leaves possible.
How to harvest indigo seeds and how to make sure your Sukumo is good or bad according to traditional methods.
Sukumo and traditional Japanese materials are used to make fermented indigo liquid,the same process used 300 years ago.
Sukumo vat management and dyeing methods are different from other vats. Explanation of those methods.
Instructor
Takayuki Ishii
Born in 1985.
In 2011, he started working at indigo conpany in Tokyo, which has been in business for 100 years. He began growing indigo in the field next to this indigo studio and began researching Sukumo production.
In parallel, he also trained at other Katazome studigo and Shibori studio from other masters learning a wide range of techniques within the indigo field.
In 2017, he started indigo studio and started teaching Japanese and foreigners to improve the level of traditional Japanese techniques.