伝統文化を知る

「多様なるジャパン」　第９回　藍染

白洲信哉＝文筆家、日本伝統文化検定協会副会長

藍染の暖簾「市女笠」（筆者蔵）

藍は夏の色。わが国有数の藍の原産地阿波（徳島県）では、ツバメの帰りを待って種蒔（ま）きが始まり、梅雨明けとともに成長した藍の葉を摘み乾燥させ、蒅（すくも）の元になる葉藍に仕上げる。生の葉染めは夏限定の仕事だ。だが、藍という名の植物はなく、葉にインジカンと言う色素を含んでいれば全て藍染の材料となり、各地の気候風土にあった多岐にわたる「藍」が太古から地球上のいたるところにある。藍のあるところに人間の生活があり、薬にはじまり藍の葉による染色は世界を巡ってきた。

明治初めに来日した東大初のお雇い教師は「日本においては藍を染料となして、これを使用するのが大変多い。日本に来て全国至る所で藍色の衣装を見る」（藍の説）と記し、かの小泉八雲も「青い暖簾（のれん）をした店も小さく、青い着物を着て笑っている人も小さいのだった」（知られぬ日本の面影）とジャパンブルーやヒロシゲブルーと言う新語が生まれるほど、一般庶民の着物、浴衣、半纏（はんてん）、作務衣（さむえ）、暖簾、風呂敷、幟（のぼり）旗など江戸以降の藍は生活必需品だった。

だが、ひとくちに藍色と言っても淡い青色から紺色に近い濃いものまで多くの段階があり、微妙な濃淡から「藍四十八色」とも言われ、甕覗（かめのぞ）き、空色、浅葱（あさぎ）、縹（はなだ）、紺、搗（かち）色など淡ければ優しく、濃ければ逞（たくま）しくそれぞれ情感を刺激してくれる。中国の古い諺（ことわざ）に「青は藍より出でて、藍より青し」と言うように「それはもう何百種類もの違う色になるので、藍ほどかぎりなく深く、面白いものはない」と昨年百寿を迎えられた染織家志村ふくみさんの言葉を白洲正子は書き残している（日本のたくみ）。藍は他の植物染料と違って特定の温度で発酵を続ける菌（藍華）で、「建てる」のである。

NHK朝ドラのモデルにもなった牧野富太郎博士によると、生藍の葉や種子の生汁など消炎、解毒剤、止血、虫刺され、痔疾（じしつ）など効能を記し扁桃（へんとう）炎、喉頭炎などに効果があり、マムシやムカデにクマなどが出る山で暮らす人々には欠かせない薬草でもあったという。中世武家の世になり先に記した搗色の音に縁起を担いだと言うが、戦場での止血など実用的な薬でもあったのだ。

僕は自宅の各所に藍染の暖簾をかけている。ここで暖簾について述べる紙幅はないが、連載５回目の根来と同じように染物も大事なのは素地だと思う。伊豆大島に住む旧知の菅原匠さんの作品は、榀布（しなふ）と言う誠に堅牢（けんろう）な織物に染め上げた単純な図柄が季節のうつろいに一役かっている。

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【English version】

‘Diverse Japan’ Part 9: Indigo Dyeing
Shinya Shirasu = Writer, Vice President of the Japan Traditional Culture Certification Association

Indigo-dyed noren curtain, ‘Ichijo-gasa’ (author's collection)

Indigo is the colour of summer. In Awa (Tokushima Prefecture), one of Japan's leading indigo-producing regions, seed sowing begins after the swallows return, and once the rainy season ends, the grown indigo leaves are picked, dried, and processed into leaf indigo, which is used to make sukumo. Fresh leaf dyeing is a summer-only task. However, there is no plant called ‘indigo,’ and any plant containing the pigment indican in its leaves can be used as material for indigo dyeing. Thus, various forms of ‘indigo’ suited to local climates and environments have existed since ancient times across the globe. Where there is indigo, there is human life, and its use has spread worldwide, from medicine to dyeing with indigo leaves.

The first hired teacher at the University of Tokyo, who came to Japan at the beginning of the Meiji era, wrote, ‘In Japan, indigo is used as a dye in a great many ways. Upon arriving in Japan, I saw indigo-coloured clothing everywhere’ (The Theory of Indigo). Lafcadio Hearn also wrote, ‘The shops with blue curtains were small, and the people wearing blue kimonos and smiling were also small.’ (The Unknown Face of Japan). The term ‘Japan Blue’ or ‘Hiroshige Blue’ was coined, reflecting how indigo became an essential part of daily life for the common people in garments such as kimonos, yukatas, hanten, samue, noren, furoshiki, and nobori flags from the Edo period onwards.

However, when it comes to indigo blue, there are many shades ranging from pale blue to deep indigo, and the subtle variations in hue led to the term ‘48 shades of indigo.’ These include Kamenozoki, Sorairo, Asagi, hanada, kon, and kachi-iro. Lighter shades evoke a gentle feeling, while darker shades evoke a robust feeling, each stimulating different emotions. As the old Chinese proverb says, ‘Blue comes from indigo, but it is bluer than indigo,’ and as Shimizu Fukumi, a dyeing and weaving artist who celebrated her 100th birthday last year, once said, ‘There are hundreds of different shades, and nothing is as deeply fascinating as indigo,’ as recorded by Shiraishi Masako (Japanese Crafts). Unlike other plant dyes, indigo is ‘cultivated’ using a specific type of bacteria (indigo bacteria) that continues to ferment at a certain temperature.

According to Dr. Tomitaro Makino, who served as a model for an NHK morning drama, the fresh juice from indigo leaves and seeds has anti-inflammatory, detoxifying, haemostatic, and insect bite-relieving properties, and is effective for tonsillitis and laryngitis. It was also an indispensable medicinal herb for people living in mountainous areas where snakes, centipedes, and bears are found. In the medieval samurai era, it was said to bring good luck due to the sound of pounding indigo, but it was also a practical medicine for stopping bleeding on the battlefield.

I have indigo-dyed curtains hanging in various places around my home. While there is not enough space here to discuss curtains in detail, I believe that, like the root of the plant mentioned in the fifth instalment of this series, the base material is crucial in dyeing. The works of my old friend Sugao Sugawara, who lives on Izu Oshima Island, feature simple patterns dyed on shinafu, a remarkably durable fabric, which play a role in marking the changing seasons.