A Length of Stenciled Cotton: Ochre and Black Tones

late nineteenth century
51 3/4" x 13", 131.5 cm x 33 cm

This is a length of beautifully hand woven cotton that is created from richly textured hand spun yarns. The length is rich in what the Japanese call ito aji or thread flavor and this is a desirable quality when considering Japanese folk textiles.

The color combination of an ochre ground and a black pattern is not often seen on this type of cloth so in that regard this length is unusual or rare.

The black pattern--probably a pigment dye that has been stenciled directly onto the surface of the cloth and not resisted as is the case with the katazome technique--shows a design of stylized chrysanthemums amid a field of arabesque.

There is a coin-sized stain, shown in the detail photos, to the right side, selvedge and tear to a similar location, also on the right side of the length. Other than that this length is in good, used condition and is still quite sturdily woven.

This is an unusual beauty and certainly something interesting for someone who collects or is interested in Japanese stenciled cloth.