Indigo dyeing was born in ancient times and has been existing over the centuries in various regions in the world, such as India, China, and Japan. It was known and traded as well in Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Britain, Peruvian, Persian,  and African civilizations.

India is believed to be the oldest center of indigo dyeing in the Old World, that is approximately 6500 years ago.
Supposedly, existing oldest indigo-dyed fabric is the cloth used to wrap Mummy in Egypt about 4000 years ago.

In Japan, we call our indigo dyeing “Ai-zome”(藍染め)“.
It is said that the origin of Ai-zome came from China about 1800 years ago, which is relatively short history in the world of indigo dyeing.

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When thinking about Momotaro, people imagine Okayama.
When thinking about Okayama, people imagine jeans.

Japanese jeans are beloved and respected all over the world for their detailed works of dyeing, weaving, sewing and washing. They have become the best in the world strictly because of the artisan spirit of their crafters.

The origin of Japanese denim lies in Kojima-Okayama, or Kibi Land, as it used to be known, where there have always been many dreamers. Some of these dreamers were the artisans who have been creating the best denim in the world by strictly adhering to the time-honored low-technology manufacturing traditions which are seldom used today. Even with their hands covered in the indigo blue dye, they have been seeking ways to find the best cotton, yarn and the right shade of blue for their denim, challenging and going beyond the expectations of traditional fabric production.

Born in Kojima, Okayama, Momotaro Jeans was a dream that came true.

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History
The history of the industrial development of Japanese denim is shared between the artisans in Okayama. The local industry has been developing it from the Edo period (beginning in the early 15th century) until today.

Admiration of American culture 
During the 1960s Japan experienced a period of high growth highlighted by the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 1964. At the same time, the younger generations who were able to support themselves began admiring the American lifestyle and especially fashion statements such as jeans. As the desire to look cool by wearing jeans, just like their on-screen heroes James Dean or Keiichiro Akagi did, the youngsters invaded second hand shops looking for their very own pair of jeans. Meanwhile, the Japanese clothing industry began producing domestic jeans in order to capitalize on the increasing demand of denim. Yet, Japanese jeans still lacked the status of what was considered to be the genuine American denim.

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