A Complex Katazome Dyed Indigo Boro Panel: Faux Shibori Katazome

ca. early twentieth century
36" x 44", 91.25 cm x 111.75 cm 

This is an interesting, indigo dyed cotton boro fragment with two sides which could be thought of as being equally interesting as the other.

The proper "inside," which is shown in the lead photos accompanying this post is, as can be seen, a patched dark indigo which shows some vestiges of the katazome dyeing which decorates the other side.

This boro cloth is composed of five cotton pieces which are hand stitched together.  The patched side shows twelve patches, most of which which are in color and tonal contrast to the base cloth, which has two jagged, torn edges (top and bottom) and a fairly prominent, coin-sized hole.

The reverse, which would have been the proper facing side of the cloth is a stencil resist dyed pattern of bamboo, the bamboo pattern dyed in such a way that is is meant to suggest nui shibori, or shibori created from stitching designs into cloth.

A really lovely boro cloth from Japan's Tohoku region with a great deal of visual and technical interest, and very nice color.