ca. late nineteenth, early twentieth century
39" x 11 1/2", 99 cm x 29 cm

This old and beautiful piece of indigo dyed hemp kasuri boro was once a sleeve from a kimono.

What wonderful color: the oxidized and well-worn indigo has turned a kind of deep, steel blue; the cloth itself is a bit threadbare from having been worn for such a long time.

It is the patches, however, that are the star of the show: this length of asa cloth bears eight, very attractive patches, most of them are hemp or ramie, and one of them, seen in the detail photos here, is a rich, dark patch made from Edo komon asa cloth, Edo komon being a small figured cloth popularized in the early to mid 19th century.

An artful and beautiful boro textile, rich in age and patches.