A Length of Double Arashi Shibori: Angel Wings

mid twentieth century
60" x 13 1/2", 152.5 cm x 34 cm

This is a beautiful length of indigo dyed cotton shibori which shows a network of intersecting indigo diagonal lines.  

This pattern, or this shibori dyeing process, is referred to as tatsumaki arashi, whereby folded cloth is compressed and fastened around a rope core, and if you look closely at the accompanying photos you can see resisted "blank" areas which shows where the cloth was bound to the core.

The fragment is taken from an unused yukata, an unlined, casual, summer kimono. The cotton is powerloomed and the indigo is more than likely synthetic.

The cloth is in very good, unused condition save a few ingrained creases which are left from its former life as a garment as well as some super faint stains, shown in detail, which are probably original to the length: as this piece was not yet used and as the placement of the stains are where they are they seem to be part of the original dyeing process.

A really lovely length of shibori and one that shows an ambitious and desirable pattern.