Yumihama Kasuri

Traditional textile from the Yonago and Yumigahama area of Tottori, recognizable by its white pictorial patterns on deep indigo cotton. The thread is dyed before weaving, with careful calculation to ensure the patterns appear correctly once the cloth is assembled. The technique arrived from mainland Asia's ikat traditions and spread through the region in the late eighteenth century as local cotton cultivation and wholesale indigo became available. By the early nineteenth century, rural women throughout the area were weaving pictorial designs featuring motifs of good fortune and celebration. The finest examples are detailed and precise while still reflecting their rural, practical origins.