Ome City has been known for its textile production. During the Edo period, it gained immense popularity with the stylish Omejima fabric. Although the tradition of indigo-dyeing had all but died out by the Meiji era, Murata Dyeing INDUSTRY, Inc., founded in Ome in 1919. With this discovery, we turned away from the chemical dyes they had previously used and returned to traditional indigo dyeing using only natural materials, and, in 1989, the indigo dyeing workshop KOSOEN was established.

KOSOEN continues to use the traditional, labor-intensive dyeing method for their products, presenting twice-yearly apparel collections of stoles, shirts, dresses and more, featuring beautiful tie-dye and gradient effects, and receiving numerous orders from well-known brands. KOSOEN’s sincere, heartfelt care for artisanship is, no doubt, not only their foundation, but also that of a future, world-renowned Japan Blue.　

KOSOEN employs a centuries-old natural indigo lye-fermentation method from the Edo period, which was the golden age of Japanese indigo dyeing. We procure sukumo, the raw material for natural indigo dyeing made by drying and fermenting the leaves of thepolygonum tinctoriumindigo plant, from artisans in Tokushima. In the workshop, we add ash lye and wheat bran, and the mixture is stirred in a vat morning and night to produce a slow fermentation. 

Given the challenging and time-consuming nature of managing the naturally fermented indigo dye, modern methods often use chemical agents to achieve results more quickly. However, natural indigo has a clarity and depth unattainable with chemical dyes. Repeated dyeing coats the fabric with collagen, making it durable and resistant to fading. Additionally, natural indigo is said to have antibacterial, antimicrobial, and UV-protection properties.