A Length of Tsutsugaki Dyed Cotton: Partial Scene of Sea and Crane

late nineteenth, early twentieth century
43 1/2" x 13", 110.5 cm x 33 cm

This is a fragment from a larger textile, a futon cover, that when intact showed a scene of a crane flying over a tumultuous ocean and surmounted by a large-scale family crest showing stylized oak leaves.

This scene was dyed in the tsutsugaki method which means it was drawn freehand using rice past resist--the artisan who created this scene was skilled as can be seen by the strong, even white lines and the clarity of the image.

The cotton is of good quality--is hand spun and hand woven and because of its texture this type of high quality, old cotton provides a superb base for such expert hand dyeing. 

This is a really well done example of tsutsugaki dyeing and the fragment is a lovely caption from a larger, complete image.