A Short Hand Spun Cotton Boro Length: Patched Zanshi
ca. late nineteenth, early twentieth century
48" x 13", 122 cm x 33 cm
Often when describing old cotton textiles that are hand loomed from hand spun cotton, we mention their ito aji, or their thread tase: this is a very vivid description of how the Japanese remark on the beauty of old cloth.
This particular length of old, indigo dyed cotton is rich in this thread taste: the hand spun cotton yarns are very apparent, and the beautiful asagi or pale blue color when paired with white and deep blue makes for a beautiful color palette.
By looking at the variegated tones making their way up this cloth we can see that the weft yarns are leftover, so this cloth is called zanshi-ori, or cloth woven from leftovers.
Add to this the three patches of indigo dyed cotton and you have a splendid, old, rustic piece of hand woven Japanese cotton.
Please note there are a few small holes down the
length of the piece.
