A Length of Sakai Sarasa: Indian Inspired Japanese Cloth

mid nineteenth century
30" x 13 1/4", 76.25 cm x 33.75 cm

This is length of stencil dyed, hand spun, hand woven cotton cloth that is meant to evoke the feeling of Indian trade cloth or sarasa.

In the Edo period, sarasa was collected by connoisseurs of beauty in Japan who were people of great means and high social position. The fact that sarasa was imported and exotic was a lure for attraction--and add to that the mastery of hand drawn design, color and dye achieved by Indian textile artisans drew interested from Japan's elite.

Sakai sarasa, of which this is an example, is named for the Sakai area of Osaka where this type of cloth was produced.

Sakai sarasa was a kind of luxury fabric in its day and even in the present era it is considered as such in Japan. 

This length shows a complex yet subtle pattern of  what appear to be highly stylized flowers with attenuated petals set against a background of low contrast textured shapes. Images of what appear to be a phoenix are woven into the pattern.

The design is light in tone and exotic in nature, and this length is very recommended for its rarity and its cultural value.