A Child's Woven Vest: A Family's Story in Cloth

ca. mid twentieth century
21" x 18", 53.5 cm x 45.5 cm

Where Japanese country textiles are concerned, we can rarely identify a piece as woven by a specific individual nor can we ascribe stories to the textile.

In the case of this marvelous, small vest, we know some things, and these things can exalt the appreciation of this humble, but beautiful, garment.

It is a child's vest which is beautifully woven using a cotton warp and a wool weft. 

This vest was collected by a well-known collector of Japanese country textiles in 1993 in Okinoshima, Japan and it was the gift of the weaver to the collector. 

The weaver, an elderly woman whose name is recorded as being Yanagihara-san, wove this garment for her grandchild, and by observing the beautifully woven cloth, and the marvelous, clean construction of this vest, it is clearly a labor of love.

The collector notes that this vest form, referred to locally in the Oki islands as tsuzuri, is a shape unique to Okinoshima.

Quite fascinating.

The vest is finished in a beautiful, hand woven, indigo dyed cotton and its appeal is enormous, as is its style beautiful.

A wonderful piece of cloth with provenance.

Very recommended.