A Length of Katazome Dyed Cotton: Waves as Roundels

late nineteenth, early twentieth century
32 1/2" x 13", 82.5 cm x 33 cm

This is a length of beautifully hand woven cotton that is created from hand spun yarns. The cloth is relatively lightweight.

The pattern is an all over one and an interesting one at that. It seems to be a repeat pattern of ocean waves that are imagined as roundels and interspersed with stylized blips of sea foam.

The repeat image on the cloth was stencil resisted on both its sides which required great skill on the part of the artisan dyer who made this cloth. There is a good amount of wear to the piece which we can see in the form of a small hole (pictured) and some light fading, especially on the top edge, corner and right hand side of the length (also pictured). The length has a bit of a sway to it from years of wear.

This is a playful and unusual pattern and one that more than likely appeared on a han juban or a half under kimono.

A pleasure to behold.