Vintage Japanese katazome* cotton.

Artisan made, natural indigo, stenciled fabric.

This one features the crane so traditional in Japanese design.

The dye is wonderfully rich. The cotton is very soft with beautiful texture.

Length: 91cm / 35.8"
Width: 32.5cm / 12.79"

*Katazome is a traditional Japanese resist dye technique. A stencil, known as kata, is used to apply a flour and water paste before dipping. These textiles were made by hand from scratch. The weaving, stenciling, dying and often the spinning of the cotton was all done by hand by the artisan. Natural botanical dyes were used, indigo being the most common.

Antique indigo textiles, such as this, are typical of 19th / early 20th century Japanese utilitarian textiles. They would have been used to make domestic items such as futon covers, throws, blankets or clothing. They are highly regarded and collected within Japan and across the world.

In Japan, cotton was highly prized among the peasant class as a warmer alternative to hemp. Indigo dye was the best natural dye available to use with cotton. Indigo cotton became a quintessential Japanese fabric that was never thrown away and always reused. There term boro translates as scrap / rag. Therefore, this category of Japanese textile can simply be referred to as boro.

To learn more about boro take a look at my blog post:
http://furugistarjapan.wordpress.com/2011/02/18/boro-japanese-folk-fabric/

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All items are genuine Japanese vintage or antique goods purchased personally in Japan.

Ships from the USA.

*NOTE Ensure you are aware of any customs charges that may be incurred by authorities in your country. FurugiStar is not responsible for additional charges in line with standard practice.

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Japanese Indigo Textiles
Blog: http://furugistarcollection.wordpress.com/

Japanese Vintage and Antiques
Blog: http://furugistarjapan.wordpress.com/

My descriptions often refer to periods in Japanese history. Please use this for reference:

Edo Era: 1603 - 1868
Meiji Era: 1868 - 1912
Taisho Era: 1912 - 1926
Showa Era: 1926 - 1989
Heisei Era: 1989 - present

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