A Marvelously Resist Dyed Koshimaki: Complex Graphic Dyeing

ca. early to mid twentieth century
26 3/4" x 44", 68 cm x 112 cm

This richly dyed, pattern-on-pattern cotton textile is a koshimaki or a kind of Japanese half-slip to be tied around the waist and worn under a kimono.

The clash of patterns and expert dyeing is just fantastic.  The base cloth is a very bold blue-on-white pattern of resist dyed high contrast blocks of white embedded in a blue field.  On top of this dazzling ground are stenciled images of  large-scale well cribs and paulownia flowers, eight pairs in all.  The wide, cotton banding on the top---cut short on each side--shows an intricately resist dyed katazome cotton with a butterfly pattern, the cloth seemingly culled from another garment and repurposed here as a belt.

The back of the koshimaki shows a large, block of indigo dyed cotton which is hand stitched to the base using thick, white sashiko thread.

The entire garment--which contains so many wonderful layers of designs, is in very good, slightly used condition: certainly the cloth is still vibrant in color and pattern.  

Really, really lovely, and very recommended.