Finally, a trip to a neighborhood showroom Sri, with the intent to purchase some Japanese Textiles that were both Indigo Dyed and Boro. “Boro” means “tattered” in Japanese and describes textiles that have been clearly used, broken/damaged, and stitched back together with contracting fabrics.

I was fortunate enough to purchase two pieces from Sri, each hand loomed and indigo dyed and created in the early 20th century. The longer, Boro piece would have been used for bedding and has a chrysanthemum print. The square piece would have been used for bundling and has the Oda melon flower at the corner. It was created using the technique called katazome (stencil paste dye).