Kasuri cotton ‘flaming’ panel, Japan, Meiji (circa 1880), cm 99x33. ‘kasuri’ is the Japanese term for what is commonly knows as ikat weaving. The kasuri process involves yarns being tied before they are dyed. The areas where yarns are tied are "masked" and will resist dye. The way in which yarns are tied will determine the look of the finished patterns which will be woven into the cloth. Sometimes just the weft yarns are tied. Sometimes both the weft and warp yarns are tied, and this is called double-kasuri, a technique which can yield designs that range from simplistic to marvellously complex and pictorial. The rather stiff touch of this cloth might point to cotton yarns mixed with ‘asa’ fibers, a general term used to refer to bast fibers such as ramie, hemp, etc.. We are not 100% sure about this mixing, though. What is sure here, is these are hand-plied and hand-woven threads. And, above all, it matters the visual impact delivered: here we do have a ‘flaming’ look very much resembling that provided by Italian and Flemish (multi-coloured) textiles from the 16th and 17th centuries. Condition is good, given age, not exactly mint though, with a few pinholes and a bit of very slight surface wear. All this, however, does not detract very much from its general look: dazzling and simply visual arresting.