A Soft Cotton Stenciled Bag: Kaki Shibu Dyed

mid twentieth century
32 1/2" x 13 1/2", 82.5 cm x 34 cm

This good sized bag is made of very nice, supple, thick cotton which has been commercially woven.  The bag itself is machine stitched.

It has also been dipped in kaki shibu, or green persimmon tannin, a traditional, Japanese dyestuff that helps strengthen the woven fibers of cloth and also provides a kind of waterproofing effect as well.  You can see that the dipping into the kaki shibu bath has left an uneven trace as folds of the cloth can be seen where the dye did not take.

This cloth bag, said to be from Shimane prefecture, had something to do with the sake making process; there are stenciled kanji on the surface of the bag.

As well, there is a lovely mending patch hand stitched to the surface of the bag. A curious and lovely thing, and one that has many uses for the home.

Delightful.