A Length of Patched and Wonderful Zanshi Ori Cotton: Kasuri Pattern

early twentieth century
35" x 12 3/4", 89 cm x 32.5 cm

Zanshi ori is cloth woven from threads that are either leftover from home production of yarn making, or from broken threads that were purchased from local commercial weavers. 

Usually the weft is fed with these random threads while generally the warp is regulated producing an irregular horizontal 'striping'; if home threads are used, knotted slubs can often be seen.

This super beautiful length of indigo dyed cotton zanshi ori was clearly woven from leftover kasuri yarns as we can see the emergence of a semblance of images repeating on this fragment of old cloth. 

It is amazing to see the pattern appear and then break down into abstraction and visual nonsense. The pattern/non-pattern just described is woven against a fixed warp of black and blue colored stripes.

There are two patches which repair two small holes, both of which are shown in the detail photos attached here--front and back of the cloth are also shown.

Really good.

Recommended.