A Pale Toned Resist Dyed Furoshiki: Hand Spun Cotton Yarns
late nineteenth, early twentieth century
40" x 38", 101.5 cm x 96.5 cmÂ
This is a good-sized furoshiki which in Japan is a traditional cloth used for the wrapping, hauling and storing of goods. This particular one is hand stitched from beautifully hand spun, hand woven cotton yarns.
The cloth's dynamic design is done in the resist method, in this case tsutsugaki which is hand drawn. The family crest of wood sorrel on the lower left hand corner and the family name on the upper right corner might be stencil resist dyed, however.
The quality of the cloth is just what you want to find in old Japanese folk textiles. Its texture is rich from the hand spun yarns and the hand weaving is evident. The pale mocha tone is well dyed and there is some surface abrasion and a faint stain which is pictured on the second detail photo which accompanies this post.
For its age of over 100 years and its nicely designed composition, this is a wonderful textile to own, and one that speaks volume of the kind that were made in old Japan.
