An Egasuri Length of Cotton: Bamboo and Cherry Blossoms

ca. early to mid twentieth century
42" x 13 1/4", 106.5 cm x 33.5 cm

This is a lovely length of indigo dyed cotton cloth which is dyed in the kasuri method; like ikat, kasuri is a method of tying yarns before dyeing: when woven, the yarns produce a pattern or image which is embedded in the cloth.

This piece of cloth is called egasuri, or picture kasuri, and it is lovely.

There are twelve complete pictures on this length which are done in an almost stylized or cartoonish manner: there are two images depicted in alternating windows: the young bamboo, and a branch bearing a cherry blossom (and what appears to be a poem written on a slip of paper).

The images are separated by bold, gold colored intersecting lines; there is one small hole to the selvedge (shown) and the bottom of this piece shows two partial woven images.

A very nice, very graphic length of woven cloth.