A Length of Zanshi Ori: Kasuri Warp and Repetitive Weft

early twentieth century
59 1/4" x 14", 150.5 cm x 35.5 cm

Zanshi ori is cloth that is woven from threads either leftover from home production of yarn making, or from broken threads that were purchased from local commercial weavers.  Usually the weft is fed with these random threads while generally the warp is regulated producing an irregular horizontal 'striping'; if home threads are used, knotted slubs can often be seen.

In this case the warp yarns create both stripes and kasuri patterns which is not completely unknown in the world of zanshi ori but it is fairly rare.

That the warp yarns are striped and of kasuri patterns draw equal attention to the weft of the cloth which is woven from randomly fed light and dark cotton yarns which appear as horizontal stripes--some of them in blocks of narrow, even width. Clearly this was intentional on the part of the weaver.

This is an unusual and attractive length of zanshi ori in a color that is deep indigo which reads as black in tone.

Beautiful.