A Length of Nagoya Sarasa: Complex Bamboo Pattern

**reduced from $95.00**
mid twentieth century
63" x 14", 160 cm x 35.5 cm

This is a fancifully designed length of cotton of a mid twentieth century type referred to as Nagoya sarasa, an indication that its design makes reference to Indian trade cloth, even if this reference is oblique and this design is decidedly Japanese in spirit.

The pattern is one of bamboo leaves and stalks, the leaves being decorated with patterns of chrysanthemums, maple leaves and carnations.

The color palette is tight: it focuses on tones of brown, some reddish, some yellowish and some with a tinge of blue, and the repeat pattern is playful, sprawling and calls to mind designs associated with the 1940s or so.

The cotton is in good, used condition and as it was taken from a futon cover, there are ingrained creases down the two sides, with a bit of slight scuffing and wear to the surface of the cloth.

A delightful length of Japanese cotton from an culturally transitional time in Japan.