Vintage Japanese Kimono Fabrics by Pieces: Japanese Textile Fabric Swatches

73701:1960s Japanese Tsumugi (Pongee) Silk, Arai-Hari, 58 inches Piece

Catalog# 7370-1

1960s Vintage Japanese Textiles:
Tsumugi Silk Kimono Fabric by 58" Piece
Arai-Hari Used

Width:14 inches / 35.56 cm
Length: 58 inches / 147.32 cm

Item Details and Description

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 .)

Description: Tsumugi (pongee) silk derived from 1960s kimono; The fabric is lightweight, translucent and fairly smooth to the touch(compared to many other tsumugi); design is the same on both sides; While this appears to be a solid color, upon closer inspection, it is overall a moss-green but with subtle browns and tans interwoven (please see close-ups).

Condition: EXCELLENT, remarkable condition for its age.

Cultural Background Note: From www.nippon-kichi.jp:

Tsumugi are silk textiles woven by hand using thread collected from the floss of the cocoons.
The floss is made from debris of the cocoons and spun by hand into thread. Because the thread is called “tetsumugi ito” or “ tsumugi ito”, the textile made from the thread became to be known as tsumugi.

Tsumugi is characterized by its unique texture and dull gloss coming from subtle variations of the tsumugi threads. It is extremely durable and has been used for everyday clothes and working clothes since ancient times....

To read the rest of this above article and learn more about tsumugi, please visit: www.nippon-kichi.jp

Also, from Immortal Geisha Wiki, more tsumugi info HERE.