Devil's Dye : The Indigo That Changed the World(Symposium-2006- The Indigo Industory in the Transitional Periods)

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  • 悪魔の染料 : インディゴが変えた世界(2006年度シンポジウム 歴史の転換期における藍)
  • 悪魔の染料--インディゴが変えた世界
  • アクマ ノ センリョウ インディゴ ガ カエタ セカイ

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Indigo is the major dye that made the world history and culture. It was called "Devil's Dye" by the rival woad dyers of the Middle Ages. In the modern world, the indigo cultivation was related to slavery in the European colonies of the West Indies and North & South America, and to the forced-labour cultivation system in Asia. Therefore, it is possible to say that it actually became "Devil's Dye" in history. In this thesis, we glance at the history, with the cultural and social meaning, of the manufacturing process of purple (Phoenician Blue) and woad dye. And the relations between indigo and slavery in the modern ages are analyzed. In addition, we prove the compulsion- cultivation system of indigo in India under the British rule, and we point out the fact that the shift of the policy of British Empire, from Americas to East India, was caused by American Revolution, and that the system played the main role with opium trade in the structure of industrializing British Empire. The huge exportation of the indigo dye from India reached Japan after 1880's. German synthetic dye brought serious damage upon the traditional indigo industry of the world and Japan, but it seems that enormous distribution of natural Indian indigo played a major role for a while in Japanese market even after the beginning of importation of the artificial blue dye.

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