A Katazome Dyed Furoshiki: Kiri and Kiku

early twentieth century
40 3/4" x 38", 103.5 cm x 96.5 cm

This is a katazome dyed furoshiki, a furoshiki is a traditional cloth used for the wrapping, hauling and storage of goods. Furoshiki are still widely used all over Japan.

What makes this furoshiki interesting is the fact that it is made of bedding material that has been repurposed to create this carrying cloth.

The large-scale pattern is also interesting as it shows two types of flowers--kiku or chrysanthemum and kiri or paulownia--both of which are often the subjects of katazome designs but which are rarely seen together as they are here.

There are some faint stains to the undyed areas that can be seen in the detail photos that accompany this post. These faint stains are unnoticeable when taking in the piece as a whole from a distance so they do not detract from the overall enjoyment of the piece.

This is a lovely and fairly unusual type of traditional furoshiki and one that has many applications for use today.