This listing is for a full bolt of traditional Japanese fabric intended to be made into a fukuro obi sash. See below for more about fukuro obi.

Bold color and an almost folk-art sensibility give this obi fabric a wonderfully eclectic, mid-century look. Large stylized red blossoms and curling green foliage are arranged alongside geometric borders, small ornamental emblems, and oval medallions containing birds and abstract floral forms. The background is a rich gold and brown. 

The design is created through richly colored brocade weaving in shades of emerald, olive, scarlet, brown and gold, with the strong outlines and simplified shapes giving the motifs a striking graphic quality. Birds traditionally carry associations with freedom, happiness and good fortune, while the abundant floral and leafy imagery suggests growth and vitality.

Exposed floating threads on the reverse reveal the construction of the elaborate woven design.  The weaving technique merits a closer look - quite masterful!

This bolt is laid out in the traditional fukuro obi format: 45" of solid fabric which would have been sewn as the backside, then an 81" decorative section, then 36" of more solid fabric that would be hidden as an underlayer when the obi was wrapped. Another decorative section of 19" at the end.

The fabric is a thick weave that is both pliable and sturdy – perfect for being tied into an elaborate bow at the back of a kimono, and just a perfect as table or wall décor. Plenty of fabric to convert into home décor (pillows!) or an elegant jacket or coat…?

A fukuro obi is wide for the entire length, plain on the backside and a patterned design only on the front. There is a one yard "blank" section on the front, as is common with contemporary fukuro obi, where some cost can be saved by leaving it blank where the first wrap layer of the belt portion occurs, since it doesn't show to the public.