A Fragment of Indigo Dyed Cotton: Itajime or Kyoukechi Dyeing

ca. late nineteenth century
12" x 13 3/4", 30 cm x 35 cm

This is a wonderful little fragment of cotton cloth, a type of twill cotton that was produced in the 19th century; it has a felted quality to the hand as it is soft and dense and light.

This blue on blue, fuzzy cotton is dyed in the itajime or kyoukechi and the pattern is that of asa no ha or the hemp leaf motif.

This small fragment is a wonderful artifact for those interested in resist dyeing methods or for those interested in esoteric folk textiles. It appears that this piece was a scrap that had never been used as it is bright and densely colored and the cloth shows no wear.

A really wonderful piece of itajime cotton.