Below you will see some of the harder-to-categorize
items in the Boro and/or Ranru venue. Most
will be either cotton, hemp or a combination of
both, and almost all of the pieces shown will be
indigo dyed in solids, kasuri (ikat) or shima
(stripe) patterns; again, many will have
combinations of multiple patterns. First, a
brief definition of terms:
"Ranru" translates as "rag taste" and I believe
refers to those items that would be considered by
some as beyond salvaging, while to the aficionados
of this venue, the same pieces are held in esteem
bordering on reverence.
This is not a mainstream venue; it's not for
everyone. Boro and Ranru are for the true
collector of unique textile items and for those who
can see and hear the stories that these pieces tell.
They speak of an abhorrence of waste, of creatively
making something new from something old, making
something from nothing at all. And they speak
of decades of hardship in the home that made them,
each scrap sewn with loving efficiency to cover
damage incurred by the fabric giving yet one more
