A Very Densely Patterned Zanshi Panel: Complex Stripes

early twentieth century
58" x 13", 147.5 cm x 33 cm

Zanshi ori is cloth which is woven from threads either leftover from home production of yarn making, or from broken threads that were purchased from local commercial weavers.  Usually the weft is fed with these random threads while generally the warp is regulated producing an irregular horizontal 'striping'; if home threads are used, knotted slubs can often be seen.

This is a handsomely colored and beautifully designed length of zanshi ori, which shows an embedded design based on two, strong, parallel, wide, black, warp-oriented stripes.  The complex warp is further composed of narrow, vertical bands of multicolored yarns, some of them mottled, which create a dazzling effect to the eye.  The weft is fed by leftover yarns which produces the abitrarily-spaced, narrow striping which works its way up the length of the cotton panel.  At one point, as can be seen in the accompanying photos here, a long strand of yellow-colored yarn is fed to the weft which produces the big, block of pale yellow seen on the top third of the length.

An exquisite length of zanshi cotton.

Just beautiful--and recommended.