Catalog: Antiques: Regional Art: Asian: Japanese: Textiles (152)

Two pieces of asa kaya cloth (hemp mosquito net. Warps and wefts are hand-plied and vegetable indigo dyed. Faded indigo blue and good condition. Late 19th century. 34cm x 2m80cm

Furoshiki (wrapping cloth) made of hand-spun cotton and vegetable indigo dyed. The crest is hand-drawn by tsutsugaki technique. It has sashiko on the four corners. In excellent condition except for a cut (1cm) in the crest. The second half of the 19th century. 135cm x 137cm

Juban (under kimono) made of three kinds of silk cloth. One is silk crepe with yamamayu (wild silk) stripes and the other is silk crepe with stripes. The third one is tsumugi (pongee silk) with katazome komon (stencil-resist-dye small pattern). All natural dyed. Yamamayu (wild silk) is rare and precious comparing with cultured silk. It is hardly dyed, so that it stands out shiny when woven together with silk crepe. It is sewn with very fine choma (ramie) thread so that it is rather old...

Beautiful Okinawan uchikui which is a furoshiki (wrapping cloth) with cherry blossom design. The dye technique is tsutsugaki and bingata-zome which is traditional Okinawan dyeing technique adding colorful vegetable color or pigment. Uchikui is dyed with either tsutsugaki or katazome (stencil-resist-dye). Uchikui is used for not only wrapping but also covering gifts. This uchikui is two panels sewn together. Wefts are choma (ramie) and warps are cotton...

Noren made of hand-spun cotton and vegetable dyed (probably kakishibu) and all hand-sewn. It has "Yotsume" family crest. In excellent condition. The second half of the 19th century. 122cm x 126cm

Kappa (cape) which was called "hikimawashi" or "maru-gappa" in old days. It is made of cotton with warp kasuri checker board pattern on one side and cotton stripes on the other side. It was worn on the occasion of travel over kimono. It has wool collar, probably imported. The word "kappa" came from Portuguese "capa". The Portuguese first came to Japan in 17th century. This collar also shows the influence of the western fashion design. The second half of the 19th century. Partly sewn by machine...

Pilgrim's sodenashi made of hand-spun cotton with writhings which are the name of the pilgrim, the year (Meiji 5, 1871) etc. The places of pilgrimage is Saigoku Sanju-Sansho (33 holy places in the west) which are for worship of Kannon and the oldest places of pilgrimage. Those are located in Kyoto, Osaka, Gifu, Hyogo, Nara, Shiga and Wakayama. The cloth in the back is also hand-spun cotton and vegetable indigo dye. In excellent condition. 45cm x 57cm

Cotton futonji with tea utensil motif, which is hand-drawn with tsutsugaki technique and made of hand-spun cotton and vegetable indigo dye. Futonji with tea utensil motif was produced in the regions where tea ceremony was active such as Iyo (Ehime Pref.), Sanuki (Kagawa Pref.) and Izumo (Shimane Pref.) Tea kettle in the center, chawan (tea bowl), cha-ire (tea container), kamashiki (placement for the tea kettle), sumi-kago (chacoal basket), trivet, flower vase and so on...

Cotton Kurume kasuri futonji with a castle motif. Kurume in Fukuoka Pref. in Kyushu has been one of the main product places of indigo dyed cotton kasuri since late Edo period (early 19th century). It is made of hand-spun cotton that means probably it was made before Meiji 15 (1882) and vegetable indigo dyed. In excellent condition except for minor brown stains only in the back. It has white cotton belt for hanging in the back. The second half of th 19th century. 129cm x 158cm

Cotton futonji with katazome (stencil-resist-dye) whose motif is paulownia flower but the design looks more western painting rather than traditionl katazome paulownia flower. Made of hand-spun cotton and dyed with vegetable indigo and partly sumi (ink) is used in the plant. Generally in good condition but has some mending patches and slightly indigo faded panels. Also, washed but still has some light stains. Late 19th to early 20th century. 124cm x 142cm

Amazing boro cloth which is one side of body part of noragi (farm wear). The ground cloth as well as mending patches are hand-spun cotton and vegetable indigo dyed. Sashiko thread is also indigo dyed cotton. Asa (hemp) thread is seen in the side seam and that means it is rather old. The second half of the 19th century. 32cm x 184cm

Oshi-e, litterally "pressed picture" which is made of fragments of antique European print and Japanese silk and the motif is a civilian man in Edo period. The history of Oshi-e date back to Heian period, found in Shosoin Treasures (around 10th century) It was very popular toy in Edo period with motif of Kabuki Theatre actors. The ground paper is "Itame-gami" which is ten layers of washi and has thin cotton lining so that it looks like a shallow relief. In good condition...

Oshi-e, litterally "pressed picture" which is made of fragments of antique European prints and the motif is a young woman in Edo period. The history of Oshi-e date back to Heian period, found in Shosoin Treasures (around 10th century) It was very popular toy in Edo period with motif of Kabuki Theatre actors. The ground paper is "Itame-gami" which is ten layers of washi and has thin cotton lining so that it looks like a shallow relief...

Sodenashi (vest) made of silk crepe fragments which are: katazome (stencil-resist-dye), stripes with yama-mayu (wild silk), itajime (clamp-board dye), plain etc. All vegetable dye such as indigo, benibana (safflower), shikon (root of purple grass). In excellent condition. The second half of the 19th century. 37cm x 57cm

Shima-cho, a sample book of cotton stripes and checks (check pattern was also called "shima" before. Some has both stripes and kasuri. Mostly vegetable indigo dyed but some of colored warps are chemical and some fragments are machine woven. 40 pages with 613 fragments. In excellent condition. Meiji (1868~1912) 24.5cm x 18.5cm x 2.5cm

Shima-cho, a sample book of cotton stripes. It has more than 600 fragments, mostly hand-spun and vegetable dye but some warps are chemical dye and also some fragments have silk threads. The second half of the 19th century. In good condition but some fragments are mildewy. 38 pages. 18.5cm x 13cm x 2cm

Girl's ceremonial kimono with hand-painted auspicious motifs such as plum tree with flowers, pine trees and bamboos. It is made of asa (taima or choma, hemp or ramie) and both wefts and warps are hand-plied. It has a charm with silk threads in the back. The second half of the 19th century. In excellent condition except for minor wear in the white lining in the wrist. 69cm x 75cm

Kappa (cape) made of cotton kasuri on both sides which are hand-spun and natural indigo dyed. It is called "maru-gappa" or "hiki-mawashi" in old days. It was worn on the occasion of travel over kimono. It has washi (Japanese handmade paper) between two cotton cloth which is washed out and soft. The word "kappa" came from Portuguese "capa". The Portuguese first came to Japan in 17th century. The piping　is made of handwoven hemp. Generally in good condition but has some holes and wear in cords...

Very large furoshiki with many mending patches which are all original and beautifully done. It is made of hand-spun cotton and vegetable indigo dyed, ground cloth as well as mending patches. In good condition. The second half of the 19th to early 20th century. 164cm x 164cm

5 panels of noren made of asa (hemp) whose wefts and warps are hand-plied and vegetable indigo dyed. The top hem and belts are hand-spun and vegetable indigo dyed cotton. The beige stripes are cotton threads. In excellent condition. 19th century. 160cm x 138cm

Wa-sarasa futonji made of cotton and dyed with pigments. Wa-sarasa is Japanese calico which is first made in Edo period immitating calico from abroad and stencil-resit dye or woodblock print. The product places were Nabeshima (Saga Pref. in Kyushu), Sakai (Osaka), Nagasaki (Kyushu) etc, however it is not clear where this futonji was made. In excellent condition. The latter half of the 19th century. 130cm x 168cm

Baby's ceremonial kimono made of machine woven cotton with hand-painting with motif of noble people. It has se-mamori (charm) with silk thread. The diagonal stitches to the left means it is boy's kimono ( to the right is girl's ). In old days, it is believed that evils come from back and a baby is vulnerable without seam in the back, so se-mamori is put. In good condition but a bit dusty from aging. Dry cleaning only. Late 19th to early 20th century. 62cm x 76cm

Furoshiki (wrapping cloth) with bold and nice family crest design which are katazome (stencil-resist-dye). It is made of hand-spun cotton and vegetable indigo dyed. In good condition but has two mending patches and a few breaks. 19th century. 130cm x 126cm

Cotton Kurume kasuri futonji with bold kasuri with asagi (light blue). Kurume in Fukuoka Pref. in Kyushu has been one of the main product places of indigo dyed cotton kasuri since late Edo period (early 19th century). It is made of hand-spun cotton and vegetable indigo dyed. Late 19th to early 20th century. In excellent condition. 134cm x 150cm

Man's han-gappa which was worn over kimono when he went out and made of hand-spun cotton, both outside and the lining. It is in very dark green, dyed with natural indigo and vegetable yellow. It has beautiful two kinds of katazome (stencil-resist dye) for lining which is natural indigo dyed. The collar is made of imported wool. The fasteners made of spiral cord show it was made in Tenpo in late Edo period (1831~1845) according to the "Kinsei Fuzoku-shi" written by Kitagawa Morisada beginning fro...

Asa (hemp) baby's kimono with hand-painted pine tree motif whose wefts as well as warps are hand-plied. It has se-mamori in the back which is a charm with silk threads and this one is boy's kimono as they are in the left as well as in the center (girl's one is in the right). Evils are believed to come from back in old days and it protects a baby from diseases. The second half of the 19th century. In good condition but some stains in front and holes in two belts made of thin raw silk. 76cm x 90cm...

Miyako-jofu woman's kimono with fine kasuri which is hand-woven of choma (ramie) and dyed with Ryukyu-ai. Wefts and warps are hand plied. Miyako-jofu has been woven in Miyako Island in Okinawa since 14th century. It was called "Satsuma-jofu" in Edo period as the island belonged to Satsuma feudal domain. It was imposed as tax. It is time-consuming process of thread making, thread plying, weaving as matching wefts and warps kasuri pattern. It is pounded with mallet to make it shiny after the clo...

Kaji-banten worn by a fireman (fire-fighter) with all hand-stitched sashiko. It has katazome (stencil-resist-dye) "gissha", wheels of a cow carriage motif. It has rather rare green lining. In excellent condition except for some wear and rips in the lower front. 19th century. 126cm x 122cm

Katana-bukuro made of hand-spun cotton with komon, tiny pattern which is katazome (stencil-resist-dyeing). It has tsuta-mon (ivy) family crest. All hand-sewn. In good condition but has much color faded parts. 19th century. 16cm x 86cm

Thick shima-cho, a sample book of cortton shima (stripes) with about 870 fragments. The age is written on the cover "Meiji 3 (1870), however the age of the fragments range from very late Edo (mid 19th century) to Taisho (1920s). The first 770 fragments are late Edo and Meiji (the second half of the 19th century) and the second 101 fragments are woven in Taisho period (1912~1925). In excellent condition. 16cm x 21cm x 5cm

Asa kasuri kimono called "Akaso kasuri" which was woven in Omi region (in Shiga Perf.) till Meiji period. The wefts kasuri is dyed with itajime (board-clamp-dye). In eccellent condition but has a hole in the upper lining. Late 19th early 20th century. 120cm x 139cm

Silk crepe cloth with beautiful embroidery of wisteria motif which is one of the long sleeves (furisode). The ground cloth is white silk crepe (chirimen) and the embroidery threads are vegetable dye. It has kata-kanoko (stencil-dye pattern) imitating small shibori pattern named kanoko shibori. In excellent condition except for a light brownish line in the center. The first half of the 19th century (late Edo period). 35cm x 190cm

Beni-itajime-zome (board-clamped dyeing with safflower) han-juban (short under kimono). The body part is hand-spun cotton and the sleeves are figured silk and the wrist parts are wool muslin. In good condition but the dirty line in the neck, rips in the front sleeve and some moth holes in the wrists. Late 19th to early 20th century. 125cm x 66cm

Futonji made of hand-spun cotton with tsutsugaki orizuru (origami crane) motif and dyed with natural indigo. It has green color lining which is also hand-spun cotton and dyed with natural indigo and yellow color. In excellent condition except for a hole near hem in the indigo cover, indigo faded parts and some holes in the green lining. Late 19th to early 20th century. 158cm x 188cm

Asa (hemp) wrapping cloth with hand-drawn tsutsugaki noshi design. Noshi is an auspicious motif which used to be flattened abalone strips and was decorated on a gift. The wefts and warps are both hand-plied. It is colored with pigments. In good condition except for some wear and stains. 19th century. 84cm x 103.5cm

Asa (hemp) cloth with tsutsugaki shrimp which is an auspicious motif. It symbolizes longevity showing that one can live long till having the waist bended. It is made of asa (hemp) and the wefts and warps are hand-plied. It is colored with pigments. 19th century. In good condition but has some wear, stains and indigo color faded parts. 90cm x 65cm