A Yukata of Yamato gasuri: Specialized Kasuri Weaving from Nara

early twentieth century
55" x 50", 140 cm x 127 cm

This is a yukata or an unlined, casual kimono, which is hand stitched from the marvelously distinctive cotton kasuri cloth from Nara which is known as Yamato gasuri.

Yamato gasuri is woven in countless variations that show great differences in scale, tone and design. This particular type of kasuri weaving shows a tiny, close repeat of blue marks which appear due to the confluence of warp and weft yarns that are dyed just in the right way to create this pattern. The small repeat increases the difficulty for the kasuri weaver.

The yukata is subtle yet shows cloth that required great skill to weave, which not might be apparent if you do not know about the kasuri weaving process.

The garment itself is in good, used condition with a stain to the proper, left hand side of the front of the yukata which is shown on a detail photo here.

The yukata is very wearable or it could also be used to harvest a good amount of historical Yamato gasuri to be put in the service of a creative project.

Recommended.