Textiles
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About Textiles
Japan is a country known throughout the world for its remarkable textile history, which continues to the present day. While kimono ("ki" to wear; "mono" thing) are no longer worn by the general population on a daily basis, they still are worn on ceremonial occasions. Folk textiles are less known outside of Japan than the lavish and ornate silk kimonos so famous throughout the world and well represented in popular imagery of Japan. But silk was never a material for the common classes who were prohibited by law to wear it during the Edo era (1615-1868). The common population of the Edo and Meiji (1868-1912) eras wore textiles in other materials and styles.
Most surviving textiles date from the 19th and early 20th centuries, the late Edo and Meiji eras. They are characteristically of cotton or hemp type fibers and often dyed indigo blue as a dominant color. They were woven, pasted, stenciled, embroidered, appliqued, and quilted. Most of the creation of folk textiles -- from fiber to finish, was done by women, mostly during the winter when there was little outdoor field work. Looms were small which is reflected in the panel construction of surviving textiles such as futon covers.
The following is a list of the more common types of textiles and traditional methods of making them.
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AsaAsa is term to describe bast fibers, meaning a fiber taken from plants, and also including ramie, hemp, jute and linen. Asa fibers were lightly spun or twisted into threads that were easy to weave, dye and pattern. |
BingataBingata is the name for the colorful stenciled cloth from Okinawa. South of mainland Japan, Okinawa is the largest of more than 70 islands called the "Ryukyu" archipelago stretching 800 miles between Kyushu and Taiwan. Ryukyu was a separate entity until 1879 and had a distinctive culture encompassing both Japanese and other Asian influences. |
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MomenMomen or cotton spread in the East from its origin in South East Asia slowly. The earliest piece of imported cotton found in Japan dates from the 7th century however it was not until the 16th century that an adequate location to grow cotton was found in Japan, since the plant is semitropical and the Japanese climate was poorly suited for its cultivation. The introduction of cotton in the Edo period revolutionized textile products for commoners and was much more comfortable than bast fibers. |
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KasuriKasuri or "ikat" are textiles which are formed from paste-resist sectional dyed threads which are then woven to form designs. The blurred edges of designs would result since the threads would not match up precisely. The process is complex and with more complicated designs extremely difficult. |
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KatazomeLike paste-resist dying, but with the use of stencils (see Tsutsugaki). |
Indigo BlueIndigo blue is the most common color of folk textiles. The preparation of this dye required great skill and preparation and was made from a group of plants containing "indican", a water soluble clear substance which becomes blue when exposed to oxygen. Indigo blue could also be combined with other dyes to form other colors. |
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Sashiko"Sashiko" is the Japanese word for quilting, which meant stitching two layers of cloth together, with or without padding to make cloth thicker and warmer and to make it last longer. The Tohoku region in the north having colder weather was known for its sashiko cloth. |
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TsutsugakiLiterally "tube-drawing", these designs were drawn by hand. It was best suited for large bold designs like those seen on futon covers and shop curtains (noren). The process is usually called "paste-resist". Rice paste in applicators shaped with a cone would be drawn on the cloth, which would be then dyed a variety of colors usually with an indigo blue background. |
Recommended books
The following books were consulted and are suggested for more information:
- Jackson, Anna. Japanese Country Textiles, Victoria and Albert Museum Far Eastern Series, 1997.
- Moes, Robert and Stinchecum, Amanda Mayer. Mingei: Japanese Folk Art, Art Services International, Alexandria, Virginia, 1995.
- Moes, Robert. Mingei: Japanese Folk Art The Brooklyn Museum, 1985.
Copyright by Blue & White America, Inc., 1998