Author: Textiles.
Title: [Shokumon Zue - Miyuki].
Description: Tokyo, Yoshikawa 1901. Two volumes, 25x18cm, publishers patterned wrappers with printed labels; 23 and 26 double folded leaves, being a leaf of text in each, 44 and 50 pages of coloured woodblock prints, each page with one or two designs. Some surface blemishes to wrappers. ¶ Something of a masterpiece of woodblock printing, but not for the usual reasons. These are designs for woven rather than printed patterns, and in many cases one needs to hold the plate at the right angle to see that a design, or the particular texture of a cloth, has been overprinted, embossed or burnished into what seems a monochromatic square. Part of a fairly large series, the Kojitsu Sosho or Library of Ancient Customs, these two cover textile designs for costumes for imperial visits.

Keywords: applied arts weaving textiles costume Japan Asia design pattern colour printing ornament