An Exceptionally Good Shimacho: All Botanically Dyed Swatches

mid nineteenth century
when closed: 8" x 5 1/2" x 7/8", 20 cm x 14 cm x 2.25 cm
10 pages (double sided).

This is an exceptionally good shimacho for its age and for its swatches that are arranged in regular, grid formation--some larger, some smaller.

The age is determined by the quality of samples-- none show synthetic dyes which became widely used in Japan in the 1870s.

Interesting, too, is the grid of "blanks" or pages that have a grid of applied paper cuttings that are awaiting the arrival of a new swatch to be glued on to it. Please note the marbled paper on the inside of the covers is loose and on one cover a piece has detached. Also, there is a page of missing swatches (shown) and one other page where a few of the swatches have come loose.

Shimacho means, literally, "stripe album." The small, cotton swatches contained within it are usually striped cotton, or some variation on striped cotton.

A shimacho is said to be an album of home weaving that a bride takes from her family home when she's married, leaves her family and begins her life in the home of her new husband's family.  Most likely this is in part true, however it is more likely that a shimacho has a broader beginning and a less prosaic life.  It is not unthinkable that a sliver of a neighbor's weaving found its way into a shimacho, or some such thing.

Often the striped cloth in a shimacho shows narrow stripes or small checks in dark colors.  

The reason for this is that in old Japan there were sumptuary laws which dictated how a person could dress and how they should conduct other aspects of their lives.  Most of the population was only allowed to wear dark, somber colors and cloth showing very little pattern, if any.  Therefore, shimacho usually reflect this societal dictate by showing scraps of hand woven cotton in dark colors.

This one contains many and lovely pieces of striped and checked hand loomed cotton cloth. The fact that there is absolutely no evidence of synthetic dyes on these swatches indicates the cloth was probably woven in the mid-to-late nineteenth century.  

The swatches were glued with rice paste into a hand bound book done in a traditional, Japanese binding technique.

A wonderful thing to own.

Highly recommended.