Indigo shibori cloth , Japan, Taisho (c.1920), 66x33cm. The common English translation of the Japanese word shibori is "tie-dye"; however, a more accurate translation is "shaped-resist dyeing," which describes the inherent patterning process of manipulating the two-dimensional cloth surface into three-dimensional shapes before compressing them to dye. Diverse shibori techniques are used to obtain different patterns, and sometimes they can be combined to obtain a certain result. This is the case with the present item, that features vertical chains of small spider-webs of ‘kumo shibori’, interrupted by colorful triangles obtained with a different shibori technique. Kumo shibori has long been known in Japan. a twelfth-century painting shows a simple hemp garment with a pattern that resembles this type of shibori. It appears frequently in the ukiyo-e (wood-block prints) of the Edo period (1603-1868), which depict the lives of people from all parts of society. In the nineteenth century, an unusually fine type of pleated and bound kumo shibori dyed in indigo on fine cotton became very fashionable. The actual cloth, shows how the ability of a master-dyer can lead to eye-catching results, with the triangles adding a scent of joy to the whole composition. Condition is good, with the exception of three holes in the very upper part. Funky and cheerful. Recommended.