中国秦・漢の時代から、500年来にわたり

揚子江下流地域で織られてきた

伝統的な藍染めの綿織物です。

衣類や布団の面布、装飾品などとして

庶民の間で愛用され受け継がれてきました。

濃い藍と白で描かれるデザインのモチーフは花や鳥、

蝶などの自然物から渦巻き水玉などの幾何学模様 。

また鳳、獅子、松、竹、梅などのおめでたい婚姻や

正月などの祝い事に由来するモチーフが多く、

中国の庶民の思いや夢などを彷佛とさせる

華やかな味わいがあります。

洗う程に風合いが増し、長く長く使い込んで

次の代へと受け継ぎ、愛用される織物です。

Chinese indigo calico is a traditional cotton cloth

that  was developed  along the downstream

basins of the Yangzi River over the 500 years.

The distinctive indigo blue cotton cloth,used for

clothing, bedclothes and ornamentation,

has been cherished for centuries.

Many of the motifs, drawn in blue-black and

white colors, feature flowers, birds,butterflies, and

other natural creatures as well as geometrical figures

such as spiral polka dots and figures such as lions,

Chinese phoenixes, and the traditional designs of pine,bamboo, and plum trees which are used on

auspicious occasions such as marriages and

at the New Year.

These flowery and impressive motifs reflect

the wishes and dreams of the Chinese people.

The aesthetic beauty of this cotton cloth increases

the longer you use it and the more you wash it.

That is the secret of its fine texture that

you will come to cherish.