Watanabe's
Watanabe's
Awa indigo born from Tokushima's rich natural environment
Watanabe's indigo dyeing is not just a color, but a "real" beauty that continues to be loved through the ages.
The deep blue shows a new expression every time you see it.
The more you use it, the more flavor it develops.
Please pick it up and feel the warmth of careful handiwork.
Three things that Watanabe's values
Creating a soil cycle through collaboration between livestock and crops
The fertilizer used in the indigo fields is fully matured compost produced at a pig farm owned by NOUDA Ltd., a company with which Watanabe's has a close relationship.
The fully matured compost produced by fermentation is of such high quality that it contains so many beneficial microorganisms that steam rises from it even in winter.
Weaving indigo blue, making indigo
The raw material for indigo dyeing, "sukumo," is made by drying indigo leaves harvested in the fields, spreading the dried leaves on the dirt floor, sprinkling water on them, and carefully mixing them. After that, from the first day of fermentation, called "sekikomi," it takes more than 100 days and a process called "kiri-kaeshi" that is repeated many times before it is completed.
Natural lye fermentation
This is one of the traditional indigo dyeing techniques, in which indigo is fermented using natural materials to create a dye solution. This technique uses the power of nature to ferment indigo without using chemicals, making it environmentally friendly and producing a unique texture and deep indigo color.
Inoue Miso and Soy Sauce's new brewery has a pleasant smell of fermenting miso and wooden barrels.
The stories that Mr. Inoue told us as we were guided around this important place, which could be said to be the lifeline of miso production, were very interesting.
"We never forget the idea of 'Let's have fun.' We see delivering to people outside the prefecture and overseas as an activity that conveys a message to the local area. We bring it closer to what we are used to eating. Handiwork is about adding. We don't make the miso; nature makes it for us, and we just help it along."
There are many fermented foods in Tokushima, and we have become big fans of Mr. Inoue, who is one of the respected professionals.
Because these are handmade products, they cannot be mass-produced. That is why we want you to treasure them.
The product's ingredients are listed as just three: rice, soybeans, and salt, so you can rest assured that it is safe to eat.
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