March 5, 2010
What a striking, paste resist, indigo dyed cotton noren or door covering. It is sewn from six panels which creates an almost monumental presence, the actual size being 68″ x 73″ or 163 cm x 185.5 cm.
Centrally placed is the large, mon, or family crest, in this case it is an unusual, stylized rendering of kashiwa or oak. Beneath the mon in stepped formation is the wonderfully zigzag matsukawa bishi or pine bark motif.
This noren probably dates to the early twentieth century–perhaps just a bit earlier. Its size indicates that it was probably meant to hang in front of a building; also indicative of this is the very tightly woven, heavy cotton which would have been strong enough to withstand the elements, street traffic and its dust and dirt.
Notice how the matsukawa bishi pattern interlocks and creates another iteration of itself in the negative spaces? Notice, too, how the selvedge edge of each panel is finished: each edge is back stitched in contrasting, white thread.
This is a beautifully designed, beautifully executed old noren.
In: Tags: katazome, noren, tsutsugaki
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March 3, 2010
In: Tags: katazome, sashiko
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March 1, 2010
Shown today are two full tan or bolts of indigo dyed cotton shibori from Arimatsu, Japan, Arimatsu being one of Japan’s great shibori producing centers.
Within the cities of Arimatsu and Narumi, countless families were engaged in all aspects of shibori making and finishing, and within this hotbed of shape resist dyeing, amazing technical innovations flourished during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Pictured on the left in the photo above is a bolt of indigo dyed cotton showing the shirokage or white shadow technique, the pattern being that of the tortoise shell or kikko.
The bolt on the right, above, seems to be a vertical, fine wood grain (tate komokume) type of arashi or pole-wrapped shibori. A similar example is shown in Shibori: The Inventive Art of Japanese Shape Resist Dyeing on page 176, figure 245.
The cotton is both hand spun and hand woven, and is gorgeous to the touch.
In: Tags: shibori
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February 26, 2010
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February 23, 2010
Today I am showing two rustic seate, a seate being a kind of protective back pad used for carrying burden.
These two seate are a mid-twentieth century types; each is made of shredded cotton cloth that has been braided, twined and woven along with some hemp fibers. Other seate–ones that pre-date these as well as ones that are contemporary to these shown here–are woven of rush, bast fibers or rice straw. I posted an earlier entry on similar pieces with these two shown here visible in the photos, but they are not featured. Have a look here.
The “festive” look of these fringed, brightly colored objects is a strange, visual irony when you consider that these pieces were used in heavy labor, on an ongoing basis.
It seems that most of the rags used to weave these seate are commercially produced cottons: by the mid twentieth century when these seate were woven, mass produced cotton fabrics were ubiquitous in Japan.

Note the presence of some hemp twine in the construction of these seate.
I find this pair fascinating, compelling and really beautiful.
In: Tags: sakiori
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