Japanese Indigo Kon Kasuri Textile

This vintage Japanese textile dates to the mid-20th century and has a strip woven design of alternating square check patterns and delicate fans, symbols of the journey of life. The textile is woven with a technique known as kon-kasuri, a form of ikat weaving wherein pre-dyed fibers create a pattern of white resist against an indigo-blue ground.

Japanese indigo textiles, known as ai-zome, became especially popular during the Edo period (1600-1868), when the lower classes were restricted from wearing silk and consequently favored richly dyed cotton fabrics. A beautiful example of a time-honored tradition, this indigo textile looks lovely as a wall hanging or draped on the back of a sofa.