An Indigo Dyed Tsutsugaki Futon Cover: Tattered, Abraded Cotton, Patched Back

late nineteenth, early twentieth century
57" x 60", 145 cm x 152.5 cm

This four-and-a-half panel, large-sized indigo dyed cotton textile began its life as a yogi; a yogi is a kimono-shaped padded duvet.  Over time the yogi was deconstructed and was fashioned into a futon cover, which is a rectangular-shaped duvet, which was often stuffed with cotton batting.

This yogi/futonji is decorated with a large, resist-dyed family crest which depicts wood sorrel or katabami as it is known in Japan, which is a fairly popular family kamon.

The cotton yarns are hand spun and the cloth is hand woven, therefore the cotton cloth has a marvelous texture in the hand.  The indigo color has faded in the more well-used sections of the futon cover.  And, as can also be seen in the attached photos, the surface of the cotton is quite abraded, almost shredded in some areas, and this abrading is fairly uniform over the entire surface of the futon cover.

One image of the back of this piece is provided to illustrate how the cloth was patched and mended by the original owner.

A wonderfully soulful piece with good age, wonderful home spun yarns and a nice vibe.

Recommended.