A Printed Cotton Zokin: Kanji

mid twentieth century
10 1/2" x 10 1/4", 26.75 cm x 26

A zokin is a traditional Japanese dust cloth or cleaning rag; it is usually made from old pieces of cloth and it is usually layered and stitched for durability.   

Along with diapers, zokin are among the traditional household textiles that represent the end of the line where the repurposing or recycling of cloth is concerned.

This layered example shows a white ground cotton with blue colored, backwards kanji which are printed in a faux shibori pattern.

Really lovely.