Shindo's Indigo Museum at Miyama

The original wanderer and his collection

Bonson Lam Feb 08, 2015 - 1 min read

<p>Hiroyuki Shindo, the curator of the Little Indigo Museum is a wealth of knowledge and insight on all things Indigo.</p>

<p>Three shades of Indigo. Feel, smell and see the brilliance of hand made indigo textiles.</p>

<p>The Little Indigo Museum is housed in the largest thatched house in Kita Village, Miyama. </p>

<p>These exquisite garments are a heirloom for the future generation.</p>

<p>Upstairs in the attic are Indigo textiles from Japan and around the world. </p>

<p>Working Indigo dying vats at the Little Indigo Museum.</p>

It was the summer of 1968. Between the street protests against the Vietnam War and the rapid industrialization of corporate Japan, a young man called Hiroyuki Shindo fell in love with indigo whilst studying at the Kyoto City University of Fine Arts. His love affair with this ancient dye took him to village markets on the other side of the world and back. You can see his lifelong collection at the Little Indigo Museum, a thatched house in Kita Village in the town of Miyama. Like many shops in this village, it is closed for hibernation in winter.

Bonson Lam @bonson.lam

I knew my future was destined to be with Japan the moment I flew from Sydney to experience the atmospheric laneways of Kyoto last century. I am humbled to have met many distinguished people during this time, especially the national living treasures of Japan, such as the doll maker to the Imperia...