A Length of Sparely Designed Shibori: Hand Spun Cotton

late nineteenth century
30" x 12 1/4", 76 cm x 31 cm

This is a length of hand loomed cotton which is rich in ito aji, or thread taste; ito aji is a desired quality in Japanese folk textiles. Beautifully textured hand spun cotton is the base of this piece and noteworthy is the beautifully cobalt blue-like color of the indigo dye.

The simple decoration on this fragment of cloth is nui shibori or stitched shibori and the meaning of the image is unclear.  Likewise, the original purpose of this textile is unclear as the repeat image is not of the sort to be used on a kimono or on a futon cover.

Still, this is a wonderfully rustic fragment of old Japanese shibori dyed cotton, and a very nice tangible memory of old Japan.