kasuri(kasuri)
A textile in which the warp or weft threads, or both, are partially dyed and woven together to form a pattern. It has a long history and is believed to have originated in India. In Japan, tatekasuri is one of the treasures of Horyuji Temple. After the Edo period (1603-1868), with the spread of cotton, the use of kasuri spread throughout the country as a common people’s clothing. Patterns include crosses, wells, rice paddies, and arrow-shaped kasuri, and Ryukyu-kasuri has distinctive patterns such as running water and swallows. The colors were mainly navy blue and white. In the beginning, cotton was used for the threads, but silk and hemp were also used to make kasuri. The most well-known cotton varieties are Kurume kasuri and Iyo kasuri; silk varieties include Ryukyu kasuri, Yuki pongee, and Oshima pongee; and linen varieties include Echigo Kamifu (Ojiya shuku) and Noto Kamifu.
