ca. early to mid twentieth century
40 1/2" x 38", 103 cm x 96.5 cm

A stunning and pristine zanshi textile, cloth made from left over yarns.  This beautiful, cotton furoshiki is made of three panels of zanshi and one panel of an indigo dyed plaid cotton, all hand woven, of course. The cotton is quite thick and very sturdy.

It is wonderful to have a utilitarian textile such as this which has not yet been used.  Its sashiko stitched corners are completely intact, as are the short braids that extend from each of the corners.  The sashiko stitched corners show a folding fan design, or, possibly, a kind of geometric chrysanthemum motif.  The family name is stitched on the proper, right top corner in katakana, not the usual kanji or Chinese characters: katakana, being a kind of syllabery of reduced strokes, is easier to stitch than the more complex kanji.

The zanshi fabric is just like you would want to see: it is completely random in pattern. Note as well the lovely, asagi or pale blue warp threads used on the zanshi pieces.

A real gem and a real collector's item. 

Very highly recommended.