A Length of Boldly Pattered Katazome Cloth: Karakusa

late nineteenth, early twentieth century
67" x 12 7/8", 170 cm x 32.5 cm

This is a length of indigo dyed katazome cotton whose arabesque design is referred to as karakusa in Japanese.

The kind of endlessly repeating pattern is a popular one in Japan and, that said, there are countless variations on this design, some of them quite elaborate and some of them straightforward as this one is.

By looking carefully the repeat can be noticed because there is a bit of a break in the continued design which adds a human touch to this rather intoxicating pattern.

The color of the length is a deep, rich, indigo blue and the cotton seems to be hand spun and hand woven.