Aizome
Traditionally, natural dyeing was used by ancient people by extracting and using colored substances from flowers, fruits, leaves, roots, barks, animals, minerals, seaweed, fungi, mushrooms, and mosses that contained beautiful colors. In the past, most dyes for dyeing were plant dyes, and indigo dye was the most used. It was generally used to dye vegetable fibers, but it also dyed well on animal fibers such as silk and wool, and it became established as a dyeing method in daily life and as a traditional craft. 
The word "Nam" (藍) does not simply refer to a plant, but is a general term for plants that contain the pigment "Nam" (藍). In literature from Korea, China, and Japan, it is recorded as "Nam" (藍), but traditionally, it was called "Jok" or "Jjokmul" in Korean. Indigo was introduced from India and Egypt, and then passed on to China, Korea, and Japan. Judging from the use of the phrase "靑出於藍" (靑 comes from "Nam" (藍) and is bluer than "Nam" (藍); meaning a disciple who is more outstanding than his teacher) in the Chinese literature of the 3rd century BC, it can be known that indigo was used before the 3rd century BC. 
As for the record of dyeing and weaving in Korea in ancient times, there is a record in [Book of the Later Han] Volume 85 [Records of Dongyi] that colored threads were used to make silk with gorgeous patterns and embroidered clothes and decorate them with gold and silver, so we can see that dyeing technology had already been around since ancient times. Later, during the reign of King Goi of Baekje, the system of wearing colored clothing was established, and during the reign of Silla, there were 11 dyeing artisans in the dyeing office, and there were departments related to dyeing such as Hongjeon, Neungsaekjeon, and Sobangjeon.
In Goryeo, the Textile Dyeing Bureau established the Doyeomseo (都染署) to supervise dyeing, and specialized dyers and dyers were assigned to dyeing. Later, during the Joseon Dynasty, dyeing was divided into blue dyeing, red dyeing, and yellow dyeing at light factories, and dyeing techniques were further developed as dyeing was supervised by color.
After the mid-Joseon period, it was transformed into a private handicraft industry, and people became self-sufficient as a side job or for daily necessities in their households. As a result, the desire for dyeing increased even among the common people above the half-class, and various traditional dyeing methods were developed as secret household methods for clothing, bedding, daily necessities, and wrapping cloths as wedding gifts. However, it was temporarily discontinued due to the appearance of synthetic dyes in 1856 and the Korean War, but it was inherited and revived in the late 1970s, and it is a field that is emerging as the most preferred traditional craft among the general public today, despite the serious problem of environmental pollution.
