A Tsutsugaki Dyed Diaper from Izumo: Traditional Motif

early twentieth century
12 1/8" x 21 1/2", 30.5 cm x 54.5 cm 

This is a diaper that is sashiko stitched and it bears the wonderful and fairly rare image of the anchor and rope. 

This very distinctive type and style of image is associated with the area of Izumo which produced resist dye cloth with bold, symbol-rich images. The anchor motif is a personal favorite here at Sri. Cloth from Izumo has a kind of appeal that make them desirable.

The diaper is marked with the anchor motif that is often used for wedding or marriage-related textiles as it suggests the mooring of things, or, maybe more exactly, of safely securing the new bride in married life. For this reason, and since the cloth was intended to be used as a diaper, it was most certainly part of a larger bridal trousseau.

This collectible cloth was seemingly never used and its bold image and its utilitarian style make it a classic type of folk textile from the Izumo area, and it is loaded with as much charm as it carries good meaning.

Recommended.