A Very Good One-and-a-Half Haba Boro Panel: Many Patches

ca. late nineteenth
70" x 18", 178 cm x 46 cm

This is the kind of boro that deserves a second look, and if you have been on the fence for a while, looking for a very good example of old, boro, this may be the one you were looking for.  It is a very fine example of an old boro cloth, one that is beautifully composed of many patches of good looking, hand loomed, old cloth; this boro is very reminiscent of the flavor of old Japan as it comes to us directly from that era.

It is one-and-a-half haba or loom width.  The base cloth is composed of about five separate pieces of cotton that are hand stitched together, while on the top there are just about 19 separate patches, each in beautifully muted variations of narrow stripes and tight checked cloth, the effect of seeing them all together is really rich.

More than likely all the cottons on this boro are from the late nineteenth century, and this section from an old futon cover probably has fragments taken from old kimono which have been repurposed and reconfigured.

A very good looking and old boro panel, and one that is recommended.