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Polygonum tinctorum | |
Common Names: Tade ai, Dyer's Knotweed | |
Geographical Distribution: East Europe to East Asia | |
Habitat: This plant will grow in sandy, loamy and heavy clay soils. The plant is also pH tolerant growing well in acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. Polygonum tinctorum cannot grow in the shade and requires a moist environment. | |
Description: Knotweed is an annual growing to about 75cm. Knotweed is frost tender and is in flower from July to August pollinated by Insects. A blue dye is obtained from the leaves of this plant. Medicinal uses: Antidote, Antiinflammatory, Antipyretic. | |
Notes on Use:Tade ai or Dyer's Knotweed was the primary indigo source for the textile industry in Japan until superseded by a species of Indigofera. Knotweed is not native to Japan and has been imported there from China during the 5th or 6th century. It was used in the same way as the sacred mountain indigo 'yama ai' until more effective vat dying techniques were discovered. | |
Fresh leaves, gathered from the knotweed, were crushed and steeped in water to make a simple indigo dye vat. This technique was used to dye cotton with indigo. The disadvantage of using fresh leaves in the vat is that dye is depleted (it tires) very fast. This means the vat needs to be replaced often. The seasonal nature of the harvest further limits the amount of material that can be dyed using this process. The process is analogous to working with the one-shot indigo hair dye process where the dye is disposed of and not re-used. Japan soon adopted fermenting indigo vats similar to those used for woad and Indigofera. | |
The folk textiles of Japan are most commonly made of cotton and often dyed with indigo. While Japan has long been famous for exquisite silks, silk was too expensive and its use by common people was prohibited. There are many decorative techniques evident in the folk textiles of Japan each with its own history. For the most part they have in common indigo as the predominant colouring agent. Indigo dyed cotton had many practical advantages for people. The fabric was affordable and strong, the dark colour did not show dirt and the colour was popular, fashionable and auspicious. In addition, indigo had medicinal properties that were believed to reside in the dyed cloth. Cotton fabric was comfortable and practical work-wear. | |
Until the 12th century it was the exclusive work of women to manufacture textiles for the home and household. Women undertook every part of the process from weaving the cloth to cultivating the dye. | |
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Tsuru - The Crane a symbol of beauty a typical Tsutsugaki motif. | |
The Japanese textile art Tsutsugaki, a term for the practice of drawing designs in rice paste on cloth, literally 'tube-drawing', began as a result of access to affordable cotton and indigo dye. Elaborate cloths decorated with auspicious motifs were often given as wedding gifts. At some point indigo dying made the transition from a female duty to an acceptable male profession. The male dyers did not involve themselves in cultivation and usually worked in the city where the market was larger. | |
Contemporary indigo textiles are died in traditional way from small amounts of indigo dye still produced in Japan. The dye is no longer extracted from Knotweed, a species of Indigofera is now cultivated, instead. | |
Research has shown that organic cultivation of dye crops with viable commercial dye yields is possible in Europe. The existing infrastructure for the cultivation of biological medicinal plants and aromatic herbs in Austria makes this country particularly suitable. | |
While at present dye plants for the extraction of textile dyes are not being cultivated commercially in Europe, research within the European Union has shown that questions concerning the selection of species, cultivation by conventional farming, harvesting and processing of the harvested crops have already been settled. Species including dyer's knotweed have been put forward as particularly suitable for temperate cultivation at a commercial level. | |
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