230 X Tadashi Morita

“230 X Tadashi Morita” features 230 textiles from the collection of Tadashi Morita, a well-known Tokyo Japanese folk art dealer.  The book has few pages of text, which is in Japanese, but the focus is the color photos of the textiles, organized by types.  The chapter headings are in English, the Japanese term for the type of textile is in parentheses.  Chapters include:

-       Freehand paste resist designs (tsutsugaki)

-       Stencil dyeing with paste resist (katazome) –

-       Large Family of shape resist-dyed textiles (shibori)

-       Ikat, splashed patterns (kasuri)

-       Rag Weave (sakiori)

-       Cloth woven from waste threads (Zanshiori) 

-       Stripes, both woven and dyed (shima)

-       Child’s kimono – kodomo no kimono

-       Quilting: Stitchery both patterned and free-style) (Sashiko and kogin)

-       Bast fiber textiles – somoku-fu

-       Patchwork – Tsugi Awase

-       Boro: Patched and mended futon/bedding, work clothes -

-       Precious textiles; fine textiles used in tea ceremony – kogire

-       Printed cottons, often with Indian influence (Sarasa)

-       Footwear – ashi goshirae

-       Gauzelike underwear, woven of cotton and paper – ase hajiki

-       Period textiles / gaudy kimono – jidai no design

-       Pilgrims’ hemp robes and memorial inscriptions – moji fu

This book provides an excellent overview of Japanese folk textiles, covering varied techniques, fibers.  The textiles shown range from the Edo to Showa eras (covering 1603-1989).  

 “230 X Tadashi Morita” is a softcover book, 256 pages, fully illustrated in color.  It was published in 2011 by Seigensha, and measures approx. 8.25 by 6 inches.