A Boldly Graphic Resist Dyed Noren: Hand Spun Cotton

early twentieth century
45" x 49", 114.5 cm x 124.5 cm

This is a four-panel, resist-dyed hand woven cotton noren, a noren being a traditional curtain that acts as a shop sign or a kind of cover for an entrance way depending how the noren is used.  

Noren not only acted as shop signs--they are hung in the doorway of a business to announce the shop is open--but they also provided a barrier between the dust and chaos of the street and the inside of the shop or home. Additionally they provide some sort of psychological effect of delineating the transition between outside and inside.

The noren is completely hand stitched from beautifully hand woven cotton whose yarns seem to be hand spun. The noren shows very little, if any, wear. The indigo dye is deep and rich, the surface is relatively free of scuffs or patina; there is some very, very slight discoloration from age in the undyed areas of the noren. These details are illustrated in the accompanying detail photos. 

The two kanji or Chinese characters that dominate the two central panels of the noren are resist dyed and might read as "Yokoyama" but that is unclear.

A handsome, still very usable traditional noren.