Ryukyuan: tanashi or n'chanashi

early - mid 19th century

This robe is an example of Okinawa bingata (paste-resist stencil) style of dyeing. Early in the 20th century, Yanagi Soetsu visited Okinawa, where the local folk crafts left an impact on him and became a central part of the formation of his Mingei theory.

Ramie cloth with hand-colored decoration (paste resist and stencil)

50 1/2 x 47 7/8 in. (128.27 x 121.6 cm)

Purchased with funds from Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Henderson, the Pauline King Butts Estate, the Margaret E. Fuller Purchase Fund, and an anonymous donor

94.76

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Beyond The Tanabata Bridge: A Textile Journey In Japan (Washington, D.C., Textile Museum, Sept. 10, 1993 - Feb. 27, 1994; Birmingham, Alabama, Birmingham Museum of Art, Apr. 17 - June 26, 1994; Dallas, Texas, Dallas Museum of Art, Mar. 12 - May 28, 1995).

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Exceptionally Ordinary: Mingei 1920–2020, Dec. 14, 2019 - Sept. 6, 2021 [on view Dec. 14, 2019 - Mar. 21, 2021].

Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

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