8147: 1960s Plant-Dyed Kusaki-zome Japanese Silk 2Yds Piece, Deadstock

8147: Kusakizome silk, Close-up of a dark blue textile with a white geometric patterned border and three large white Japanese characters across the lower section, read as "kusakizome".

Catalog# 8147

1960s Rare Japanese Textiles:

Plant-dyed Kusakizome Silk Fabric

Geometric Classical Hishi-Koushi (Diamond Lattice Grid)
Floral/Other Medallions

Width: 14.125 inches / 35.88 cm
Length: 2 Yards / 1.828 m

US$25.00 per piece
Plus Shipping

Item Details and Description

Fabric History/Pedigree: Medium to heavy weight, deadstock cotton (new but unsold stock), estimated from the 1960s.
Fabric Description Details: This highly distinctive fabric is medium-weight not translucent a special plant=based dye method called Kusaki-zome, in this case, plants used were indigo and possibly other plant elements with dark to navy-blue background and full field of intricate lattice style grid with strong geometric quality, diamond shapes interlocking in symmetrical diamond lattice (hishi-koushi) with floral elements; colors in the elements are alternating ruddy-red, mustard and slightly ligher blue; Base fabric is natural silk color, so rendering off-white lines and figures to create the symmetrical geometric fabric pattern; the medallion elements average 2 inches / 5.08 cm in length; Designs are on one side only; silk is stiff and wrinkle-resistant naturally due to the dyeing method: The closeup of the 3 characters (kanji) is "Kusakizome" (kusaki-dyed, plant-based dyes).

Note: The first piece ordered will only have the end of the roll with the large Japanese character " kusakizome, " as seen in the top photo close-up
Color Accuracy: Screen settings and contrast vary by device. Please refer to our text descriptions for the most accurate sense of the color.

BACKGROUND JAPANESE TEXTILES CULTURAL NOTES:

Various types of older Ohshima and other areas' Tsumugi silk involve using mud, indigo, and grass or plants in the dyeing process; this includes even chestnut or bark-based elements to create dyes, such as Kusaki-zome.

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."