A Short Length of Indigo Dyed Katazome Cotton: Stylized Clouds

early twentieth century
38" x 13", 96.5 cm x 33 cm

This is a length of indigo dyed katazome cotton that has been used fairly hard and shows fading, scuffing and wear from use.

It shows a really delightful pattern of horizontally-oriented, highly stylized clouds, some set in pairs, which rest on a dark background. Interspersed throughout the background are small cherry blossoms rendered in white lines. 

There is one patch to the side of the piece, the placement of which indicates that this was taken from a garment, more than likely a han juban or half under kimono.

As mentioned above there is a good deal of wear to the piece and the dyed pattern itself is a bit blurred in areas due to the process of dyeing the cloth.

This is a fun pattern, a light hearted one, and it is fairly unusual if you consider the endless variety of katazome patterns.