Catalog (419)

Hanten with sashiko (quilting) which is made in Shonai in Yamagata prefecture in Tohoku District, which is made of hand-spun cotton and vegetable indigo dye. It has 2 layers of cloth with sashiko. The collar cloth is also hand-spun and vegetable indigo dye cotton with stripes. In excellent condition. The first half of the 20th century. W:88cm, L:75cm

A sashi (obi) made of plain weave silk with katazome design whose motifs are Edo Hikeshi (fireman) such as hanten (jacket) with brigade's marks, matoi (brigade's symbol) etc. Lining is twill weave black silk cloth. In excellent condition. The first half of the 20th century. 31cm x 4m12cm

Sakiori sodenashi (vest) handwoven of strips recycled from old cotton cloth for wefts, and hemp yarn for warps. Sakiori hanten and sodenashi were made mainly in districts along the Japan Sea of the mainland, where they have much snow and cold climate in winter. Piping cloth is indigo dye cotton. In excellent condition. The first half of the 20th century. W:49cm, L:86cm

A wood bowl used by a lacquer ware maker. It has layers of red and black urushi. It is used by a craftsperson of Aizu-nuri, from Aizu in Fukushima in Tohoku district. The first half of the 20th century. Diameter:15.8cm, H:6.5cm

A wood plate used by a lacquer ware maker. It has layers of red and black urushi. It is used by a craftsperson of Aizu-nuri, from Aizu in Fukushima in Tohoku district. The first half of the 20th century. Diameter:16.4cm, H:4cm

Wood tray mended with metal hinges. It has beautiful annual growth rings and grains. The first half of the 20th century. W:27.5cm, L:40cm, H:4.8cm, Weight:1100gm

A fragment of washi with mending patches, groud paper as well as mending patches are kakishibu (persimmon tannin) dye for waterproof and sturdiness. It has several layers of used old washi. The original usage is not clear. Late 19th to early 20th century (Meiji). 40cm x 32cm

A fragment of washi with mending patches, whose ground paper as well as mending patches are kakishibu (persimmon tannin) dye for waterproof and sturdiness. It has several layers of old recycled washi. The original usage is not clear. Late 19th to early 20th century (Meiji). 40cm x 40cm

Cotton futonji with minimal shibori design whose technique is "Nui-shibori (folded and stitched). It is made in Asamai in Akita prefecture where shibori has been practiced since late 18th century and it was most prosperous in the second half of the 19th century, however it declined rapidly because of the machine spinning and chemical dye developed. The local people are trying to preserve the Asamai shibori technique now. In excellent condition. The first half of the 20th century. 96cm x 156cm ...

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

A fisherman's work wear hand-woven of hemp for both wefts and warps. Both natural color and indigo stripes are hemp yarn, which are hand plied. 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 haven't been woven since then, so it is precious, especially in this excellent condition one. The first half of the 20th century, 110cm x 116cm

Hanten work wear (noragi( made of hemp, both warps and wefts are hand-plied. Sleeves are tsutsusode (tubular shape). In excellent condition except for a mending (5mm) The first half of the 20th century. 120cm x 61cm

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

Juban (under kimono) made of hand-spun cotton with shibori design, dyed with vegetable indigo. The shibori technique of the top part is Te-Kumo Shibori (Hand-bound Spiderweb) and the lower part is Kanoko shibori (Bound Dots) and Boshi shibori (Capped Motifs) with mum design, which is dyed in Akita prefecture. Cotton cloth inside is also hand-spun and vegetable indigo dye. In good condition except for mending in the back (the last image). The first half of the 20th century. 121cm x 130cm

Basket handmade of Yama-budo, wild grapevine which grows deep in the mountains. It is used by a mountain worker as a backpack. Generally in good condition but has a few minor breaks. The first half of the 20th century. W:43cm x 28cm x 15cm.

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

Biku, fishing basket, used by a fisherman in rivers. It is made of bamboo strips and urushi painted. It has a cord made of bast fiber. Some spaces between bamboo strips, but no break. in good condition. The first half of the 20th century. H:24cm, W:22cm

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. They learned not only kimon...

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. 126cm x ...

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. It has thin indigo dye cotton lining and sashiko in the lower body too. Both sleeves are "...

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. It has indigo dye thin cotton lining and sashiko in the lo...

Iwai-Bandori which is a backpack pad for carrying household items on wedding, made in Shonai region in Yamagata prefecture in Tohoku. It is made of cotton rags. In good condition. The first half of the 20th century. L:110cm, W:28cm

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. They learned not only kimon...

Wood tray with urushi painted whose technique is free and irregular. It might be made not for sale, however, it is unique and interesting. The first half of the 20th century. In good condition except for a few minor chips on the rim. Diameter:30cm, H:4cm

Cotton futonji with beautiful kasuri in check pattern, which is handwoven. Warps and wefts are both hand-spun and vegetable dye, indigo and brown color. It is from Fukuyama city in Hiroshima prefecture (Bingo-gasuri). The first half of the 20th century. In excellent condition. W:131cm, L:140cm

Tsuto made of rice straw which is used for containing ceramic plates. It has a small wooden tag "12 plates". In old age, there was no plastic cushioning material so that rice straw was used much for it and for other crafts. In good condition and very few scraps which is usual for old crafts made of rice straw. The first half of the 20th century. Diameter:24cm, H:26cm

Yuki-boshi (snow hat) or yuki-kabuto (snow helmet) made of palm tree fiber and vegetable indigo dye cotton inside. It has washi painted with Paulownia oil for waterproof, between outside and cotton indigo lining. It is from Shonai region in Yamagata prefecture in Tohoku district. It is said it was worn by "matagi", a hunter. The second half of the 19th century. In good condition with belts inside are left, which is rather rare. 40cm x 57cm

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

Cotton juban (under kimono) with shibori pattern whose techniques are Miura shibori and Ori-nui shibori. The collar cloth is silk crepe with woven pattern. It has thin wool muslin with pattern in both sleeves. In good condition except for several small moth holes. It is from Tohoku district where has cold weather in winter. The first half of the 20th century. W:123cm, L:125cm

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

A pair of boro tabi (socks) made of cotton and indigo dyed. Both soles are lost. The first half of the 20th century. Sashiko is hand-sewn but the light blue reinforcement cloth is machine sewn. L:24cm, H:12cm

Sample book of "100 hundred ancient sarasa". made of 26 silk fragments with katazome (stencil-resist dye), from No. 101 to No.126. It is made by Shiundo in Seto in Aichi prefecture. In good condition. Early 20th century. W:22cm, H:17.5cm

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

Yuki-boshi (snow hat) or yuki-kabuto (snow helmet) made of palm tree fiber and vegetable indigo dye cotton inside. It has washi painted with Paulownia oil for waterproof, between outside and cotton indigo lining. It is from Shonai region in Yamagata prefecture in Tohoku district. It is said it was worn by "matagi", a hunter. The first half of the 20th century. In good condition with belts inside are left, which is rather rare. 40cm x 50cm

Design book of Japanese traditional patterns which are originally designed by Katsushika Hokusai (1760?~1849), a notable and prominent Ukiyo-e-shi. The title is "Shin-gata Kommon-cho", a new komon design book. It has a pair of two designs, which are woodblock print, black line in one page and colored in the other and each has a name. 74 patterns in a ciecle. In excellent condition. Published in Taisho 14 (1925) by Okamoto Ihei in Kyoto. 22cm x 17cm x 2cm

Yuzen hinagata (sample book of yuzen-zome) of kosode (kimono with narrow opening of wrists) which is a reprinted edition of Edo kosode hinagata. It has 20 pages and 40 Yuzen-zome kosode designs. The book is made of washi (Japanese handmade paper.) Published by Yoneyama-do in Tokyo in 1926. In excellent condition. 18.5cm x 27cm x 0.5cm

Yuzen hinagata (sample book of yuzen-zome) of kosode (kimono with narrow opening of wrists) which is a reprinted edition of Edo kosode hinagata. It has 20 pages and 40 Yuzen-zome kosode designs. The book is made of washi (Japanese handmade paper.) Published by Yoneyama-do in Tokyo in 1927. In excellent condition. 18.5cm x 27cm x 0.5cm

Bashofu kimono hand-woven of banana fiber for both wefts and warps. The yarn is rather thicker and tougher comparing with very fine yarn for thinner and higher quality bashofu, so that it is for a everyday kimono or work wear. Brown stripes are also banana fibers. Late 19th to early 20th century. In good condition except for a mending near the lower side in the back and wear near neck. 104cm x 115cm

Hanten, called "suzukake" worn by a Shugen-sha or Yamabushi who practiced Shugendo. Shugendo is the Japanese unique religion combining Buddhism, Shintoism, and worship of nature (mountains). A practitioner (shugen-sha) trained himself in the holy mountains that is ascetic and very painstaking. It is made of hemp and weft of is hand-plied but warp is machine-spun. The kanji characters read Koya-san that was founded by the priest Kobo Daishi, also known Kukai about 1200 years ago and located in W...

Asa (hemp) noragi (work wear) with fine kasuri pattern which is katazome (stecil-resist-dye) and vegetable indigo dye. Both weft and warp are hand-plied. This kind of thick hemp textiles are found in Tohoku district. Generally in good condition but has some mending patches and stitches and wear in shoulder lines. Late 19th to early 20th century. W:116cm x L:76cm, Measurement of details, please inquire.

Four ceramic rectangular plates with geometric glaze. It has kiln's stamp in the back side in one of the plates, however not identified. In excellent condition. The first half of the 20th century. W:10cm, L:17.5cm, H:3cm

Rice bag made of fragments of hand-spun cotton with stripes, katazome (stencil-resist-dye) and checks, all vegetable indigo and brown dye. The cord is cotton. Kome-bukuro was used when people dedicated rice to temples or shrines. In excellent condition except for several mending. The first half of the 20th century. W:44cm, H:33cm

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. This kogin is called "Nishi-Kogin" which has stripes in shoulders. It is for enforcement of shoulders for a charcoal maker who brings a burden. Kogin is a kind of sashiko and its yarn is white cotton, making the hemp kimono warmer with thick sashiko in the colder district. It has several different kinds of kogin pattern. In excellent c...

Tokimono (kimono textile, unseamed and washed) of unlined summer kimono with katazome (stencil-resist-dye) Ryusui-mon (running water) design. It is made of hemp and gauze weave. Two pieces of cloth for bodies have tow slits (10cm) in the middle, for necks. Generally, in good condition but one panel, one front side has some light stain, however not serious from outside, and also one of a sleeve has a brown spot. Early 20th century. Body cloth:33cm x 2m84cm x 2pieces, Sleeve cloth:33xm x 142cm x 2...

"Sorihiki-happi"from Yusa in Yamagata prefecture which was worn for sleigh pulling. It has cloth with sashiko for reinforcement diagonally, from shoulder to one side of the body, and also both sides. It was worn when sorihiki pull down a sleigh with firewood from the mountain to the foot of the mountain. Yusa sashiko is one of Shonai sashiko in Yamagata prefecture. This happi has fine horizontal as well as vertical sashiko on whole ground cloth. In good condition except for a few breaks on the s...

Maiwai is a kimono having been given to fishermen from a fish boat owner on the occasion of the large catch. It is seen along the Pacific Ocean, from Aomori to Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka prefecture. The motifs of the picture are auspicious ones such as crane, turtle, large sake cup and sea birds, and also the name of boat in the banner with katazome (stencil-resist-dye). It is vegetable indigo dye and colored with pigments. It has thin cotton lining for a cold season, or it is from Tohoku distri...

Girl's hanten worn at the festival or ceremony with the girl's name "Kimiko" in front. Itis made of hand-spun cotton and cotton lining with katazome (stencil-resist-dye) crane motif. In excellent condition except for two tiny holes in front. Late 19th to early 20th century. W:73cm, L:53cm

Boro small rug or a part of it which is made of almost countless fragments of vegetable indigo dye cotton. In cold districts, such as Tohoku and along the Japan Sea area, cultivation of cotton was difficult and cotton cloth was precious in old days, so that people bought fragments of cotton and made them to noragi, futonji, rugs and so on. This one has 7 to 8 layers of cloth. The late 19th to early 20th century. 91cm x 96cm. 1550gm

Cotton kimono with tiny shibori which is "Fundo-tsunagi" pattern, the continuous pattern of the weight for the balance scale. It is dyed with vegetable indigo. The shibori is called "Asamai-shibori" which is made in Asamai in Akita prefecture in Tohoku district. In excellent condition. The first half of the 20th century. W:124cm, L:124cm

Zabuton, a floor cushion made of hand-spun cotton and vegetable indigo dye. One side has kasuri pattern. It has four layers of cloth and sashiko (quilting) with white cotton yarn. Generally, in good condition but has wear or breaks in hems. Early 20th century. W:58cm, L:59cm.

Tamba-yaki tokkuri (bottle for sake) with hand-drawn letters of the sake maker. Generally in good condition. Early 20th century. H:22cm, Diameter:11cm

Sample book of the Japanese sarasa, whose title is "Kame Jirushi Sarasa Book" It has 56 fragments of silk gauze with katazome (stencil-resist dye) designs. Generally, in good condition. Early 20th century. W:22cm, H:16cm

This is possibly a card or ticket case made of rare piece of bingata cotton cloth. Bingata is katazome ( stencil-dyeing ) produced in Ryukyu islands ( now Okinawa ). This bingata was produced in 19th century, but this case might have been made later, early 20th century ( sewn by machine ). The lining is silk. In excellent condition. 13cm x 7.7cm

This is a sodenashi ( sleeveless ) han-juban ( under kimono ) made of hand-spun cotton with katazome ( stencil-dyeing ) and dyed with natural indigo. The jishiro ( white ground ) katazome is left fewer than indigo ground one. The latter half of the 19th century. In good condition except for two small holes in front ( 2cm x 2cm, 8mm x 8mm ), one in the back ( 1cm x 1cm ) and two minor cuts. 40.5cm x 54cm

Hinagata (sample book of hanten (short jacket) design which is wood-block print. Hinagata is a sample design book and it was for customers when they make orders. The designs are stencil-dyed in the back of hantens which were worn by workers such as shop clerks, fish market workers, firemen and so on. This book is a remake of the original book as the ground paper had many damages so that the original design hantens were cut out and pasted on Japanese paper and newly bound. It has 62 hantens in di...

Hagi-isho juban (under kimono) made of silk in many kinds such as silk crepe, figured silk, pongee silk and wild silk. The patterns are: komon (stencil-dyed small pattern), stripes, checks, kasuri (ikat) and solid color. The lining is indigo dyed pongee silk and floss silk in the hem. All the dyes are vegetable such as benibana (safflower), indigo, purple grass root and so on. In excellent condition. Mid 19th to early 20th century. 127cm x 138cm

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

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

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

A small bag made of deer skin with shibori (tie-dye) pattern. The brown color is dyed with the technique called "fusube-gawa". The deer skin is smoked with burning rice straws and gets brown color. Fusube-gawa is used for armors or wallets in Edo period. It has silk cords and lining. In excellent condition. Late 19th to early 20th century. 15cm x 18cm