A Katazome Zokin: Stencil Dyed Cotton Dust Rag

mid twentieth century
11" x 12", 28 cm x 30.5 cm

A zokin is a traditional Japanese dust cloth or cleaning rag; it is usually made from old pieces of cloth and it is usually layered and stitched for durability.   

Along with diapers, zokin are among the traditional household textiles that represent the end of the line where the repurposing or recycling of cloth is concerned.

This katazome dyed indigo cotton zokin is about three casually folded layers thick and shows a wonderfully subtle dyed pattern of zigzags.

A beautiful zokin and a very good amount of old katazome cotton.