A Rustic Well-Used Sakiori Obi: Rag Weave Checkerboard

early to mid twentieth century
112" x 6", 285 cm x 15 cm

This is a beautifully colored  and patterned sakiori obi, or a rustic, traditional kimono sash that is woven using shredded cloth as its weft yarn. The particular one shows a very smart checkerboard design in lovely, rich color tones.

The weft yarns are of different deep tones of purple, grey and brown and it is this underlay of deep color tones which adds richness to the overall coloration of the piece. Please note that this obi has been worn hard and by looking at the detail photos here you can see that there are snags, some small areas of loss to the edges and some ingrained creasing.

This is an extremely handsome obi and it is in used condition.

A sophisticated, elegant folk textile, this particular one is recommended even though it shows some wear and has some slight damage.