6917: 1980s Japanese Kasuri (ikat) Cotton Fabric, Yard (Arai-Hari)

Vintage Japanese Textiles:

1980s Japanese Kimono Kasuri (Ikat) Fabric
(Arai-Hari)

Width: 14.25 inches / 36.2 cm
Length: 1 yard / 91.44 cm

Catalog# 6917:

List Price: US$15.00 per piece plus shipping
Sale Price: US$7.50 per piece plus shipping

Fabric History/Pedigree:

Pieces received from a traditional Japanese kimono cleaner/reconstructor called Arai-Hari -- see an excellent explanation of traditional Arai Hari by textile expert John Marshall,by click-pushing HERE .

Fabric Type: Kasuri (ikat), Lightweight, slightly firm dark black cotton with distinctive classic Kasuri patterns of evenly spaced undulating columns alternating black to light gray backgrounds; all rendered in the usual fuzzy fashion; designs are in black, gray, white, and small red accents; same on both sides (Please see closeups).

Note on image colors: Please use our text descriptions of color to complement your sense of the fabric as devices show colors and contrast differently.

Condition: Excellent (Still slightly stiff, softens with washing -- requires special washing instructions, let us know if you need them when ordering)

Notes:

This is a Japanese country vintage fabric called kasuri (also called ikat in Southeast Asia) ; Kasuri is a labor-intensive process where patterns are made by pre-dyed paste resistance and varying techniques used to create the sorts of patterns seen here. Because of the methods used, authentic kasuri is usually highly expensive. More info on kasuri below:

Cultural Notes on Kasuri(ikat):

**Wikipedia.org, on-line encyclopedia, defines Kasuri as:**

...a Japanese word for fabric that has been woven with fibers dyed specifically to create patterns and images in the fabric. It is an ikat technique. Kasuri is weft ikat; the warp threads are solid color, and the weft thread is resist-tied in a specific pattern and dyed with indigo to form a picture when the cloth is woven. Japanese ikats are generally weft ikats or double ikats.

To see a YouTube.com video of the making of traditional indigo kasuri please click HERE .