An Irregularly Shaped Cotton Zokin: Layered

mid twentieth century
9 1/2" x 13", 24 cm x 33 cm

A zokin is a traditional Japanese dust cloth or cleaning rag; it is usually made from old pieces of cloth and it is usually layered and stitched for durability.   

Along with diapers, zokin are among the traditional household textiles that represent the end of the line where the repurposing or recycling of cloth is concerned.

This example shows a strangely shaped and eccentrically sashiko stitched zokin hand made from a black colored cotton, a few layers thick.

Really lovely.