A Recombined Tsutsugaki Yogi: Amazingly Skilled Design

late nineteenth century
66" x 31 1/4", 67.5 cm x 79.25 cm

This is section from a tsutsugaki dyed cotton futon cover that was reconfigured from a yogi. A yogi is a kimono-shaped duvet; it was not uncommon for these object-shaped quilts to be taken apart and fashioned into a square-format futon or duvet.

This one shows a dominant and large family crest showing a stylized chrysanthemum sectioned into three parts are arranged inside a circle.

Below it we see amazingly finely drawn roundels that show beautifully rendered variants on the famous trio of auspicious motifs known as shochikubai.

Shochikubai, is the design triad of bamboo, pine and plum blossoms, which conveys good wishes.  Plum shows courage as its blossoms, the first of the year, burst forth from under ice; the bamboo is resilience since it bends but does not break; the pine is a symbol of long life and also of a faithful marriage as its needles fall in pairs.

The lower half of this futon cover section was freely recombined with little regard for consistency of design. The roundels are fractured and put together with a kind of random placement that adds charm to the design.

As can be seen there is a tear to the surface and repair to one area. The pigment-based dyes that color these images have faded over time and some of the clarity of detail in the images has softened.

The cotton yarns are hand spun and the cotton cloth is hand woven: the texture of the cotton is exactly what you would want to see in a good quality-old Japanese folk textile.

This is a wonderful piece with good size and beautiful drawing: good, faded color, too.

Recommended.