A Zanshi ori Furoshiki: Traditional Wrapping Cloth Woven from Leftover Yarn

early twentieth century
41 1/2" x 37 1/4", 105.5 cm x 94.5 cm

Zanshi ori is cloth that 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 furoshiki or a traditional wrapping cloth that is still in wide use all over Japan. It is hand stitched from three panels of zanshi ori cotton: the central panel shows a randomly-placed, reddish-toned, horizontal woven bar which adds interest to the overall scheme.

The cotton is not very heavy in weight and there are small snags in it, a few of which are shown in detail photos here.

One of the beauties of finding an intact piece such as this is that we are able to see of the domestic applications of hand woven cloth which is still well-preserved.

A beauty.