Kowatari sarasa /
古渡り更紗 /
"Dyed textiles wrap, protect and decorate many different objects. Bags for holding costumes and sword mountings, the cloth used to wrap valuable items used in the tea ceremony and other such examples of dyed textiles that are essential accoutrements of items that bear witness to history give el...
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| Corporate Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | Japanese |
| Published: |
Tōkyō :
Gotō Bijutsukan,
Heisei 20 [2008]
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| Series: | Gotō Bijutsukan tenrankai zuroku
131 |
| Subjects: | |
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| Summary: | "Dyed textiles wrap, protect and decorate many different objects. Bags for holding costumes and sword mountings, the cloth used to wrap valuable items used in the tea ceremony and other such examples of dyed textiles that are essential accoutrements of items that bear witness to history give eloquent expression to the era during which the people who wore them, used them and handed them down lived. There have been historical periods when they have been just as valuable as coinage.One of the most popular forms of dyed textile is known as sarasa, which refers to cotton fabric that has been dyed either using stencils or by hand to create designs in the image of plants, flowers, animals, birds or people. Sarasa is a style of dyeing that has the capacity to enchant us all due to its pleasant texture characteristic of silk, the variety of its designs which range from those of great intricacy to those of exquisite simplicity, and the innate beauty of the dyes.From around the 16th century Japan was visited by large ships from countries including Portugal, Spain, Britain and Holland. [...] Western products such as telescopes, spectacles, woolen clothes, cloaks, hats, wine and Western confectionery were greatly sought after by those in positions of authority in Japan. In addition, rare goods that the European sailors traveling on these ships picked up in the course of their sea journeys also found their way in large quantities into Japan. One such item was sarasa, a cotton fabric made in India featuring vivid dyed patterns. [...]At a time when cotton was an extremely valuable and still relatively uncommon fabric in Japan, colorful and exotic designs were being dyed on this fabric. It is not surprising that people were immediately enchanted by it. Sarasa fabrics created in India that were brought to Japan between the 17th century and the early 18th century became known as ko-watari ('early transmission'), and various stylized designs, each with its own distinctive name, were created and became highly valued during the Edo Period. The designs were used to decorate the coats worn over armor (jin-baori) of daimyo lords, the kosode costumes of young men, tobacco pouches and accessory pouches, and they were enormously popular among the fashion-leaders of the time. They were also used in the furoshiki cloths used to wrap tea ceremony items of ancient lineage. Sarasa of the ko-watari type became among the most distinctive dyed textiles of the Edo Period.This book is the catalogue for a special exhibition entitled SARASA: Flowers of the Textile Trade.The first part of the exhibition focuses on the Hikone sarasa collection of sarasa fabrics handed down in the li family, formerly lords of the province of Hikone. Currently housed in the Tokyo National Museum, this collection includes a large number of ko-watari sarasa fabrics. All 450 of the Hikone sarasa fabrics are presented in this catalogue, and they provide basic materials for examining the features of the various patterns used in ko-watari sarasa and links with other types of sarasa fabric.The second part of the exhibition presents several of the most outstanding examples of ko-watari sarasa handed down in Japan, ranging from sarasa fabrics consisting a single large sheet of cloth to sarasa fabrics that opened up new vistas in fields such as costume and the tea ceremony. These exhibits present a view of the features of the fashion for sarasa in each era from early in the Edo Period through to the Meiji Period. The precious fabrics illustrate the techniques of textile dyeing, evoke the people who wore them, reflect the items they were used to cover and protect, and bear witness to the fashion trends of the era.The enthusiastic welcome and fashion for Indian sarasa that was evident in Europe and many other parts of the world and the influence exerted by these fabrics were evident at the same time also in Japan, as can be seen from the small pieces of fabric shown in this book. Today there are many different types of sarasa, including sarasa produced in India and handed down in Japan in various different forms since the Edo Period, European sarasa, and sarasa fabrics actually created in Japan. But it is extremely difficult to identify with any degree of certainty where and when these fabrics were created. I hope that this book will be able to throw light on Japanese ko-watari sarasa, will contribute to the development of research on the position of sarasa in the history of textiles, and, as a catalogue of Indian sarasa fabrics that found their way to Japan early in the Edo Period, will make a contribution to research in areas such as distribution economics, crafts and literature that are linked through the involvement of sarasa fabrics."-- |
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| Item Description: | Catalog of exhibition held at Goto Bijutsukan, October 25, 2008 to November 31, 2008 |
| Physical Description: | 218 p. : col. ill. ; 30 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references |