A Length of Egasuri: Money Pouch in Grey Colors

early twentieth century
55" x 13 1/2", 140 cm x 34 cm

This is a really charming length of cotton cloth.

It is a panel taken from a futon cover. It is kasuri woven and shows five, wonderfully rendered and scaled money pouches equally placed along the length of this cloth.  The pouche images are the result of the kasuri dyeing method, whereby the weaving yarns are tied at specific spots along the yarn before dyeing: by doing so they resist dye. Once woven, images appear due to the contrast of tones in the cotton yarns.

The images of money pouches, a symbol of abundance, are weft directional, meaning the weft yarns were resist dyed in order to produce this image.

The overall color of the length is grey: this is due to the cotton yarns being dyed in a vat of dye made from charcoal based ink (and possibly with the cloth dipped in an indigo vat at some point during the dyeing process).   The length shows some subtle creases and variation in the tones of grey color: this is the result light fading of the futon cover when it was stuffed with wadding.  The surface of the futon cover was crinkled so the light fading is the result of light falling upon an creased surface.

A simply lovely length of kasuri cloth that was most likely woven in Kurume, a city in Kyushu well known for its boldly patterned kasuri cottons.

Recommended.