A Length of Striped Kasuri Cloth: Arrow Feathers

late nineteenth, early twentieth century
60" x 13 1/2", 152.5 cm x 34 cm

This is a length of hand woven, hand spun cotton cloth that is supple in the hand but is also fairly thickly woven. It has a very nice drape.

The length shows a beautifully colored design of stripes which are interspersed with rows showing a repeat of distorted chevrons, the chevron shape representing a traditional Japanese motif called yabane or arrow feather.

The length is clear of defects save for some understandable overall and slight light fading. And note a short row of white cotton stitches shown in the detail photos here.

This unnecessary stitching could easily have been placed there with intention as an amulet to protect whoever was using this cloth which came from a futon cover.

These stitched amulets called semamori are often seen on children's clothing but they can be noticed on domestic textiles such as futon covers and they can take the form of something as innocuous as a short bit of running stitch as can be seen here.

A richly designed and richly toned length of old, hand spun cotton fabric, this is really beautiful--and it can be used in the home or worn on the body. Its semamori, if it is that, is a nice addition to this already beautiful length of hand weaving.