I am taking a step sideways at Oyama Senmaida and moving from a workshop teacher to a participant in the Cotton and Indigo Trust. For the next 9 months, I’ll be part of a group growing cotton and indigo, processing fiber, spinning, weaving and dyeing.
Historically, the Awa area produced cotton, silk, ramie, and all sorts of fiber materials for clothing and household goods. If you know where to look, you’ll find ramie growing wild, mulberry trees springing up along roadsides and as I have discovered, Japanese madder growing along the edges of fields. But feral cotton and indigo don’t seem to exist. We have to plant them especially if we want to have it.
Yesterday was the 2025 Trust’s first day together. We transplanted the indigo seedlings that I helped Kaori start in March. Then we sowed cotton seeds.
It was only a few hours that I thought would sail by easily, but it turned out to be brutal field work. At least for me because I am not a farmer. I was overheated; I got dizzy; my back hurt. I needed the wah-mbulance!
I will toughen up to this work but it was a challenge yesterday. I felt accomplishment but I did not enjoy it. It was Type 2 Fun.
Cutting through the thin plastic weed barrier with the spiked cookie cutter tool was awkward. Push hard, twist, and…the plastic often perforated without cutting. I am sure there is a technique for making it work every time, but I have not gotten there yet.
We are growing two types of Japanese indigo: red and white referring to the flower color. And we put in four varieties of cotton:
- 米綿 American cotton – upturned white bolls of medium length strands
- ジャンボ綿 Jumbo American cotton – big yield bolls
- 和綿 Japanese cotton – white bolls with shorter strands
- チャ綿 Tea cotton – light brown bolls that face down like tea flowers
Kaori told us that the tea cotton didn’t thrive last year. We grow organically without any chemicals, so bugs will attack and it’s hard to know how much of any of them we will get. We planted lots, so hopefully there will be some to spin & weave.
We meet as a group seven times through February 2026. Friends are welcome to join the fieldwork for free (please!), or the craft experiences for a fee. If you want to come play, let me know in advance and I’ll get you on the list.
In between the scheduled meetings, I hope to assist Kaori with tending the fields, even though I am not a farmer.
