A Small Fragment of a Multi-Layered Kotatsugake: Hearth Cover

mid twentieth century
11 1/4" x 15 1/4", 28.5 cm x 38.5 cm

This wonderfully scrappy small fragment was cut from a kotatsugake which is a traditional Japanese hearth cover. In this case, the kotatsugake was made of many layers of cotton scraps that were stitched together to form a large, heavy "pad" of sorts.

This section is the size of a zokin or dust cloth and because the edges are unfinished you can easily see the many layers which compose the piece.

Aside from the study aspect, the cloth also has visual interest--and it is a very nice artifact from old Japan.

Lovely.