7383: 1960s Japanese Asa(HempFlax) Fabric, Piece 38"(AraiHari) Asa-No-Ha

Vintage Japanese Textiles:
1960s Asa (HempFlax) Fabric (Arai-Hari)
Asa-No-Ha (Classic Hemp Leaf Motif)

Width: 14 inches / 35.56 cm
Length: 38 inches / 96.52 cm

Catalog# 7383:

US$16.00 per piece

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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 Description: Thin, lightweight, translucent mesh-like charcoal-black fabric is called Asa, a flax or hemp-based traditional fabric made in Japan for centuries up until the 1950s; Asa is usually harder than silk or cotton and has utilitarian purposes such as coverings, screen mesh, work clothing.

Asa is stronger and lasts longer than cotton; This particular piece is thinner and has classic designs of hemp leaf; this motif is a classic called Asa-no-Ha, a centuries-old geometric design popular in the Edo Period to the mid-20th Century; Asa fell out of use by the 1960s; Fabric is lighter than many we see from the same period, and was taken from a garment;

Design is of the Asa-no-ha on a large scale, cascading in a zig-zag pattern; Also, note the thin off-white single pinstripes running the length of the fabric(vertically), equally spaced; at the center, there is also a thin royal-blue line running vertically(lengthwise); please see close-ups; Design colors are a gray with a hint of burnished silver color; the fabric is textured to the touch.

Recommended for making scarf or accessories; also of interest to Japanese textile collectors and designers.

Condition: Excellent.