A Length of Complex and Rare Shibori: Pleated Checkerboard

early twentieth century
54" x 13 3/4", 137 cm x 35 cm

This is a length of indigo dyed cotton shibori that was made in Japan's "shibori capital" or in the towns of Arimatsu and Narumi which produced so much of the most inventive shibori cloth in Japan.

This type is finely pleated in a horizontal direction and is dyed in some kind of ingenious way that the pleating and dyeing create a checkerboard effect on the length. 

The cloth is still textured from the tight pleating and there is a bit of haze of a blue tone in the "white" areas of the design, especially at the top of the length and on the right hand side toward the bottom hem. Other than that this length is in good, used condition and is a rather remarkable example of complex shibori dyeing.

There is some ingrained pleating from its former life as a yukata or unlined, casual kimono.

Recommended.