Vintage Japanese Kimono Fabrics by Pieces: Japanese Textile Fabric Swatches

7800: 1960s Deadstock Ohshima Tsumugi Silk, Indigo-Black,Geometrics, Medallions 62inches

Traditional Japanese Textiles:

Authenticated Murayama Ohshima Mfr:

1960's Ohshima Tsumugi (Pongee) Silk Fabric
Modernistic/Geometric Hexagonal Grid
Medallions/Diamonds

Catalog# 7800

Width:14.25 inches / 36.2 cm
Length: 62 inches / 157.48 cm

US$20.00 per piece

Item Details and Description

Fabric History/Pedigree: 1960s kimono fabric from deadstock rolls (unused 'new' from another time.).

This is an 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:

Lightweight, slightly translucent, & stiff Ohshima Tsumugi silk, black/Indigo background with designs of 3.5 inches /8.89cm hexagons in even checkerboard arrangement consisting of Medallions which alternate from having floral designs inside to having concentric rhombic/diamond figures nested within each hexagon; all designs are done in dark to lighter blues, rusty-red accents at center of floral type medallions; motifs the same on both sides: selvage of .25 inch / 6.35 mm on both sides; Note the pixelated fields throughout all the various patterns, common in Ohshima Tsumugi (please see closeups); The start of this roll shows maker's name and factory, Murayama Ohshima; the first order of this fabric will receive the maker's mark band (last image).

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,

Recommended for making scarf/accessories.

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