A Length of Zanshi Ori: Plaid with White Blips
early twentieth century
60" x 13", 152.5 cm x 33 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 we see a handsome, plaid pattern, subtle in color and deep in its indigo tones.
The use of leftover yarns is subtle and can be seen in the weft: blips of white appear on horizontal orientation suggesting that leftover kasuri or ikat yarns were fed against the warp.
A good looking used of zanshi threads and a handsome plaid on its own merit.