Vintage & Antique Japanese Fabrics by Piece: Other Type Fabrics

6687: 1930s-50s Japanese Pongee Silk Ohshima Tsumugi Kimono Fabric,38in.

6687: 1930s Japanese Tsumugi Silk, close1

Catalog# 6687

1930s-50s Deadstock Japanese Textiles:
OhshimaTsumugi Silk Fabric

Width:14.25 / 36.2 cm

Length: 38 inches / 96.52 cm

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

Item Details and Description

Fabric History/Pedigree:

This is a lightweight deadstock 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:

Black background, lightweight, slightly translucent tsumugi (pongee) silk; design is the same on both sides, designs are symmetrical grid composed of "X" shapes that are 1/4 inch / 6.35 mm tall alternated with smaller rhombic (4 equal sides) figures (see close-ups); note that all the figures are pixelated; Design colors are dark brown and dark tan.

Colors: Reminder to use our text descriptions of colors to complement your sense of the colors, since colors and contrast differ on different devices.

Condition: EXCELLENT, remarkable condition for its age.