8010: 1960s Mud-Dyed Japanese Silk Doro-Ohshima Tsumugi, Copper Brown 59in. AraiHari

Catalog# 8010

1960s Rare Japanese Textiles:

Doro (Mud-dyed) Ohshima Tsumugi
(pongee) Silk Fabric

Pixelated, Geometrics, Medallions, Orbs

Width: 14 inches / 35.56 cm
Length: 59 inches / 144.78 cm

US$25.00 per piece
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Item Details and Description

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 clicking HERE;

For an excellent 'how-to' do Arai-Hari oneself, we highly recommend Kae Warnock's Blog, Chocolate Factotum:

Fabric Description Details:

This thin, lightweight piece is translucent with alternating figures of diamond-shaped floral medallions that measure 4 inches/10.16cm X 3.5/8.89cm, and the large floral orbs, 6,75 inches/17.15cm diameter; Background color of the mud-dyed process is a copper-brown color, with motif figures using lighter & medium tone mustard colors (almost gold?), and white and off-whites as well in the larger figures;

In these older mud-Ohshima fabrics, note how the motifs are rendered by the pixelated fields throughout all the various geometric and medallion-like patterns, this pixelation is common in Tsumugi due to the weaving methods, but the lighter fabric shows the pixelation a bit more (please see closeups);

The fabric is the same on both sides; no elvedge on both sides; Kimonos made from Doro-Ohshima Tsumugi are held in high regard among kimono traditionalists in Japan, given that the Imperial family has been known to wear such fabric in Royal kimonos.

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

BACKGROUND JAPANESE TEXTILES CULTURAL NOTES:

There are various types of older Ohshima Tsumugi silk that involve tsumugi using mud, indigo, and grass or plants in the dyeing process.

To learn about the older Ohshima textiles, there are details on that aspect of Japan's special pongee silk-making process which can be found on the National Foundation for Promoting the National Costume of Japan website. The site explains the natural plant dyes and mud etc. used in making older (1960s and earlier) Ohshima Tsumugi silks, 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."