A Thick and Layered Zokin: Vestige of Hand Drawn Kanji

ca. mid twentieth century
18" x 13", 45.5 cm x 33 cm

A zokin is a traditional Japanese dust rag which is usually made from several layers of cotton that have been sashiko stitched together.  Zokin, along with diapers, can be considered the last stop in the textile repurposing journey.

This one is unusually large and is about four layers thick and is composed of wonderful scraps of cotton cloth, the most interesting piece being the piece of hand loomed brown colored cotton on the back that shows some faint vestiges of hand drawn kanji or Chinese characters rendered in sumi ink.

A rich and lovely old cloth, very traditional, and one that will very much bring life into any room.