Antique Japanese C. 1800 Signed Boro Indigo Dyed Tsutsugaki Hand Woven Cotton

Known as a furoshike this is a hand woven, hand spun cotton antique Japanese fabric which dates to the mid Edo Era (c. 1800). It was used in its day to bundle together bedding material (futon and blankets). The center part has received a lot of wear and has holes which have been sewn up and reinforced with additional backing materials of cotton ( see pictures 10 & 11). The large 50" by 56" original furoshike has various indigo and green dyes which were applied using a paste resist printing process known as tsutsugaki to create these designs. The center design is that of a family crest in the shape of four squares.

Tsutsugaki (筒描) is a Japanese technique of resist dyeing that involves drawing rice-paste designs on cloth, dyeing the cloth, and then washing off the paste. The rice paste is typically made from sweet rice, which has a high starch content and is therefore rather sticky. The paste is applied through a tube (the tsutsu) similar to the tubes which are used by bakers to decorate cakes. A related process is to apply the paste through a stencil; that is called katazome seen on the back side patches.

Known as boro, the patching of torn or worn fabrics to make them last longer. It is signed in the upper left corner by the tsutsugaki artist (see picture 3).