Exploring Tochigi History in Nikko

When it comes to sightseeing just outside of Tokyo, once you get out into the greater Kanto region, there’s no escaping the draw of the Nikko area. Travelers flock to the Nikko Toshogu shrine complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of precious historical buildings spread across a mountainside, tucked in amongst the natural beauty of towering trees, dramatic waterfalls, and high mountains. The area has a rich history of samurai, monks, and Shinto priests. But Tochigi Prefecture is also known for artists and craftsmen, from the carpenters and carvers who created Nikko Toshogu, to the dyers who perfected the art of Kurobane Aizome. Indigo dyeing, it turns out, is an ancient Japanese craft being brought back to life in the Nikko area.

Indigo in Tochigi: Historic Traditions Reach a New Generation of Artisans

Indigo is a natural dye made from a leafy fern that grows all over the world, and alongside this widespread use, each culture and each artisan has their own unique techniques. Differences in color, fabric, and processing mean that the simple blue dye can produce a whole spectrum of beautiful results!

In Japan, the tradition of indigo dyeing called “aizome” (藍染) has roots that date back at least 1,000 years. In recent years, products made in regions like Okinawa or Tokushima have become popular across the world, far from their local workshops. But even within Japan, regions have their own unique methods, and Tochigi has its own proud history of aizome specialists.

Just east of Nikko, at Kurobane Aizome Konya, artisans add the deep black of burnt pine pigments to the indigo dye baths to create new shades of deep navy, a tradition going back more than two centuries. ç is a family business, and when the 8th-generation owner, Yuta Onuma, took over, it was at the tender age of 24. But the young craftsman has embraced his venerable family business and infused the workshop’s work with new vitality. Onuma has maintained the deep navy of the workshop’s traditional aizome creations, but he’s also worked to add new designs and discover new places to share the beauty of aizome.

Traditional aizome encompasses a variety of techniques that allow experts to turn hours of hard, labor-intensive work into results of all kinds, from thread dyeing (糸染め) to stencil use (型染め) or paste resist techniques (筒描き染め), and Onuma has used the past decade to not only perfect the workshop’s traditional designs, but also add some modern touches of his own. Kurobane Aizome Konya still makes the traditional noren curtains that hang in the entrances of Nikko’s shops, but they also make stylish sneakers and t-shirts!

Onuma has worked hard to get his small-scale workshop large-scale exposure, and Kurobane Aizome Konya can now be found in the pages of magazines, mentioned all over social media, and seen all across Tochigi Prefecture. But if all that and a visit to the shop isn’t enough, and you really want to immerse yourself in Kurobane Aizome, you can even stay the night surrounded by the indigo blue at Kai Kinugawa Onsen Resort.

Kurobane Aizome Konya (黒羽藍染紺屋)
88 Kurobanemukomachi, Otawara, Tochigi
Phone: +81-287-54-0865
Hours: 10:00 – 16:00 (closed Wednesdays, Thursdays)
Access: From JR Nishi-Nasuno Station, take a bus to Kurobayubinkyokumae (Kuroba Post Office).
Official Website (jp) | Instagram | Facebook

Experience Kurobane Indigo at Tochigi’s Kai Kinugawa Onsen Resort

The Kai hotels, run by Hoshino Resorts, are a collection of hot springs hotels around Japan, each of which works to bring out the best in its local surroundings. Three of these special onsen ryokan can be found in Nikko, and one of those is Kai Kinugawa, which sits along the Kinugawa River. These unique lodgings combine modern facilities with the traditions of Japanese crafts that Tochigi is known for, and at Kai Kinugawa, sunlight shines in from the outdoor atrium through floor-to-ceiling windows to illuminate the many artisan touches found in the hotel’s interiors. Observant guests will notice Tochigi’s famous Mashiko-yaki pottery, and Oya stone mined from a quarry south of the hotel, but most obvious are the abundant touches of indigo, thanks to Kurobane Aizome.

Look around as soon as you arrive at the entrance of Kai Kinugawa, and you’ll notice Kurobane’s indigo dye upholstering the seat cushions, covering the bed in blue covers, gracing coasters in the restaurants, and even decorating the Japanese lanterns in the hotel atrium. In the sunny rest space outside the hot spring baths, the walls are hung with traditional Japanese fans hand-dyed by Onuma himself, and cushions patterned in indigo blue.

Every summer, the hotel becomes even more of an aizome gallery during their Noryo Matsuri (“cooling festival,” 納涼祭), when Kai Kinugawa adds indigo curtains to the hotel’s doorways, offers a limited-time-only Kurobane Aizome Konya specialty room, and generally lets the calm indigo blue bring a sense of coolness to the summer air.

Kurobane Aizome Konya’s own Onuma has also participated in the Kai hotels’ Handmade Time (手业のひととき) campaign, letting hotel guests with an interest in aizome visit the Kurobane workshop in Otawara, Tochigi, and experience the process of aizome firsthand. Participants got a glimpse of the workshop in a way that’s normally off-limits, plus their own unique Kurobane Aizome cloth bag as a souvenir!

Kai Kinugawa (界  鬼怒川)
308 Kinugawaonsentaki, Nikko, Tochigi
Phone: +81-570-07-3011
Check-in/check-out: 15:00/12:00
Access: From Kinugawa-Onsen Station, take a bus to Kai Kinugawa Seimon-Mae (front gate).
Official Website (jp) | Reservations

Discover Tochigi’s Living Indigo Traditions

Whether you stay at Kai Kinugawa or see the artisans at work at Kurobane Aizome Konya, Tochigi invites you to experience the traditional beauty of Japanese indigo firsthand. Add a visit to Tochigi to your Japan trip, and witness how Japan’s deep-blue dye continues to inspire art, culture, and hospitality!

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