A Spectacular Edo Period Shimacho: Hand Weaving Samples, Natural Dyes

dated 1854
6 1/4" x 4 3/4" x 1", 16 cm x 12 cm x 2.5 cm

11 double-sided pages and one single sided page showing many, many samples

Shimacho means, literally, "stripe album." The small, cotton swatches contained within it are usually striped cotton, or some variation on striped cotton.

A shimacho is said to be an album of home weaving that a bride takes from her family home when she marries, leaves her family and begins her life in the home of her new husband's family.  Most likely this is in part true, however it is more likely that a shimacho has a broader beginning and a less prosaic life.  It is not unthinkable that a sliver of a neighbor's weaving found its way into a shimacho, or some such thing.

Often the striped cloth in a shimacho shows narrow stripes or small checks in dark colors.  

The reason for this is that in old Japan there were sumptuary laws which dictated how a person could dress and how they should conduct other aspects of their lives.  Most of the population was only allowed to wear dark, somber colors and cloth showing very little pattern, if any.  Therefore, shimacho usually reflect this societal dictate by showing scraps of hand woven cotton in dark colors.

This one contains a great variety of pieces of striped and checked hand loomed cotton cloth fragments--none of which show any evidence of synthetic dyes.  

Please note the erosion and loss to the corners of the book as shown on the detail photos here.

An excellent example of an old shimacho for its age, its beautiful samples and its many pages. The book is dated in handwriting as "Kaei 6" and era within the Edo period that correlates roughly to 1854.

Very recommended.