Catalog: Vintage Arts: Regional Art: Asian: Japanese (205)

A pair of boro tabi (socks) made of indigo dye cotton and thick cotton cloth for soles. It has fine sashiko for reinforcement on insteps. Metal claps are lost in one of the pair. The first half of the 20th century. W:10cm, L:21.5cm

Bashofu kimono hand-woven of ito-basho, which is a family of banana tree, for both wefts and warps. The blue stripe yarn is dyed with Ryukyu-ai, vegetable indigo in Okinawa. Bashofu has been woven in many Islands in Okinawa from old days, for everyday kimono or work wear. The first half of the 20th century. In good condition except for a few brownish stains. W:120cm, L:117cm

Arai-hari meisen cloth for one kimono. Arai-hari means a kimono is unsewn, washed and dried on the board, which is a traditional way of cleaning kimono. In excellent condition except for minor spots in one part (10th image). It is strong enough so that good for remaking. Two pieces for the body part, each one has different width in the middle, shoulder part (11th image). W:35cm and 23cm x 3m24cm Two okumi (front panel) cloth. W:17.5cm x 2m16cm Two sleeve cloth, sewn in one cloth...

Saiho-hinagata (or hinagata), the sewing sample which is a miniature sample to learn sewing. It was invented by an educator for saving time and textile using a special measuring rod. It was practiced in a girl's school from Meiji 7, 1874). Reduced scales were one-third in the beginning and one-quarter, one-half, one-fifth etc. The sewing technique was exactly same as the real size in details. Saiho-hinagata was designated as a significant tangible folk cultural asset...

Long cloth with shibori which is worn by a woman when she worked in the fields to protect skin from sunburn or bug bites, which covers a head with only an opening for eyes. It was mainly used in the southern part of Tohoku district. It is made of cotton and dyed with vegetable indigo. The fronthead part has double cloth. In good condition but the white stitches have some ravels and a few small holes. The first half of the 20th century. 34.5cm x 170cm

Kake-futon (comforter, top cover) made of hand-spun cotton with beautiful katazome (stencil-resist-dye). The pattern looks imitating shibori (tie-dye). It is natural indigo dyed. It has beautiful green cotton lining and can be used as it is, for example, for a cover or throw. In excellent condition except for a few stains and a mending patch. Late 19th to mid 20th century. 154cm x 175cm

Bashofu kimono made of several different pieces of bashofu with stripes. It is roughly sewn together, so it might be worn for a work wear. Both weft and warp are hand-plied. In good condition except for some stains. The first half of the 20th century. 124cm x 126cm

Woman's juban (under kimono) made of recycled cloth such as hand-spun cotton with Hinode shibori, which is vegetable indigo dye for the lower part, and cotton with katazome, for the top part. The first half of the 20th century. In excellent condition except for a few light stains in the white cotton lining. 124cm x 126cm

Futonji with two faces which are made of hand-spun cotton. One is katazome with chrysanthemum motif, dyed with bengala (red iron dioxide) and the other is checks dyed with vegetable indigo. Both sides have mending patches, breaks and holes. The first half of the 20th century. 144cm x 146cm

Boro hanten noragi made of cotton with stripes and plain which are vegetable indigo dye. It has two layers of cloth and sashiko all over. The shape of sleeves is "makisode. The frist half images are inside out. The first half of the 20th century. 128cm x 87cm

A small rug or ashifuki (foot dryer) made of hand-spun cotton and indigo dye shibori pattern, one is sekka shibori (clamp-board dye) and Kumo-shibori. It has two layers of cloth with sashiko. The first half of the 20th century.In good condition except for a stain. 69cm x 46cm

Maiwai-gi which is a festive kimono of fishermem. It was given to fishermen from a master of fishermen or an owner of a fish boat on the occasion of large catch. It is mostly made of cotton with auspicious motifs with katazome (stencil-resist-dye) and partly hand painting. The original location of the Maiwai-gi is Boso peninsula in Chiba prefecture since late Edo period and spread along the Pacific Coast. This one has thick cotton lining so that it is made into yogi (kimono shaped bedding)...

Tsugaru kogin kimono made of vegetable indigo dye hemp whose warps and wefts are hand plied. It is made in Tsugaru region in Aomori prefecture in Tohoku district. Kogin-sashi is one kind of needlework (sashiko), stitches with white cotton yarn go horizontally and make geometrical patterns. It makes the hemp kimono warm with thick kogin in the cold district like Aomori, where it is hard to cultivate cotton. Both sleeves are "tsutsu-sode...

A piece of rug made of cotton cloth, one side is vegetable indigo dye plain and the other side is stripe. It has roughly sewn sashiko (quilting) and has four layers of cloth. In good condition but it has some stains and indigo faded parts. The first half of the 20th century. 164cm x 166cm

A fisherman's work wear hand-woven of hemp for the weft and cotton yarn for the warp. Stripes are vegetable indigo dye and also natural color cotton yarn. It is from Tsushima in Nagasaki prefecture, an island located between Korean Peninsula and north Kyushu, and the textile is called Tsushima-asa. It had been woven till 1930s, but not woven since then, so it is precious, especially in this excellent condition one...

Makanai which is a kimono worn at home after work in the Nanbu region, where is the east part of Aomori prefecture. It is made of hemp cloth whose wefts and warps are hand-plied and lightly vegetable indigo dyed. The lining is machine-spun cotton. It has very fine sashiko with indigo dye cotton yarn. In good condition but has light stains in front as well as in the back. The last image is from the book "Michinoku-no-Kohu-no-Sekai" by Tanaka Chuzaburo. The first half of the 20th century...

Sakiori coat whose wefts are strips from old vegetable indigo dye cotton cloth and warps are hemp yarn. Wefts are fine strips comparing with other sakiori items. The short sleeves are for ease of movement, as it is "hamagi", worn at the seaside. In good condition except for two mending patches. The first half of the 20th century. W:85cm, L:92cm

Hanten with sashiko and mending patches which is from Shonai region in Yamagata prefecture. It is made of many indigo dye cotton fragments as cotton was precious in regions with cold climate. It has beautiful vegetable indigo faded and worn-out parts. The first half of the 20th century. W:85cm, L:90cm