Vintage Japanese Kimono Fabrics by Pieces: Japanese Textile Fabric Swatches

7126: 1960's Japanese Pongee Silk Ohshima Tsumugi,56 inches AraiHari

Rare Japanese Textiles:

1960's Ohshima Tsumugi (Pongee) Silk Fabric
Arai-Hari

Catalog# 7126

Width:14.75 inches / 37.47 cm
Length: 56 inches / 142.24 cm

List Price: US$18.00 per piece plus shipping
Sale Price: US$9.00 per piece plus shipping

Fabric History/Pedigree: 1960's fabric from kimono pieces from an Arai Hari (special Japanese kimono cleaner -- see info on Arai-Hari HERE from John Marshall, expert on Japanese textiles .)

This is a special delicate lightweight Ohshima tsumugi silk from Amami Islands, Japan. Details on this part of Japan's special pongee silk-making process can be found on the National Foundation for Promoting the National Costume of Japan website, which explains the natural plant dyes and mud etc. used in making Ohshima Tsumugi, quoted here:

Characteristics: A plain woven silk fabric with pre-dyed scoured threads both for warp and weft. The color is refined and calm and the fabric is soft and difficult to wrinkle. Threads are dyed with plant dyes such as "Techiki" (Raphilolepis umbellata) and indigo (Persicaria tinctoria) with a technique, peculiar only to "Oshima Tsumugi," called "Ori Jime." As a variety, an additional treatment is made to the dyed thread by dipping them in muddy water. It is "Doro(mud) Zome(dyeing)." There are several kinds of "Oshima Tsumugi":"Doro Oshima," "Ai(indigo) Oshima," "Doro Ai Oshima," "Iro(color) Oshima" and "Natsu(summer) Oshima."

Fabric Description Details:

Thin fabric, translucent Oshima Tsumugi silk with design the same on both sides; Background color is a dark brown with designs in tan; designs are a checkerboard sort of arrangement of 1.25 inches (31.75mm) squares alternating from squares with nested squares to squares that have a flower sort of look; All designs result of a pixelated effect, tiny pixels created in the weaving process (please see closeups); selvage on both sides is slight drape.

Colors: Please use our text color descriptions to complement your sense of the fabric due to differences in contrast and color on different devices.

Condition: EXCELLENT,

Popular with our antique Japanese textile aficionados and collectors.