About Curious Corners

Sayaka Toyama was born in Japan and moved to the US when she was eighteen. She founded Curious Corners in 2016 as a platform to promote Japanese textiles and craft to the US audience and beyond. In 2019, Sayaka partnered with Aikuma Senryo, a company founded in 1818 in Tokyo who developed Yamato Indigo Dye. In the 1870’s, when indigo was exceptionally valuable, Aikuma Senryo developed a method for extracting the indigo pigments from old indigo-dyed fabric. By boiling the fabric in water, a clay-like dye called airou(indigo wax) was created. Airou became a popular option for dyers until synthetic indigo eventually became available in Japan. Based on this method of making airou, Aikuma Senoryo created Yamato Indigo, a powder dye consisting of extracts from indigo plants, chemical indigo, alkaline agent, and reducing agent. Sayaka Toyama and Curious Corner is the sole distributor of Yamato Indigo. Read their story