A Full Bolt of Meiji Era Sanada Himo: Woven Rope

late nineteenth, early twentieth century
as shown: 7 1/2" x 10 1/2" x 4 3/4", 19 cm x 26.5 cm x 12 cm

This bundle of narrow, woven cotton is a continuous roll of unopened, never-used sanada himo: this rope was woven to be used for the wrapping of everyday hauls, probably for moving large bundles from place to place.

At first glance the object seems to be two separate rolls tied together, however this is not the case: if you look at the very top of the bundle, shown in the accompanying photos here, you will see that the rope is folded in an artful way, allowing this one continuous length to be routed into another roll.

The actual length of this sanada himo is unknown but it certainly seems to be many, many yards or meters long.

A lovely object which has the potential to be used in art projects or to be admired as-is.

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