Mawata Silk Bundle

A big bundle of traditional silk wadding or mawata. Originally used for clothing, bedding etc, mawata was also used in traditional crafts like oshie and making small amulet dolls. Of course it has lots of potential  for use in more contemporary arts as well!

To make mawata silk cocoons are boiled, stretched into thin  squares and dried. There are two sizes in this bundle approx  33cm x 33cm and  approx 26cm x 26cm . Total weight is 470g. the original label is still attached to the large sheets and suggests they date from early -mid 20th century (only three digits in the phone number!) 

Side note for people interested in Japanese language:  After cotton was introduced into Japan it became widely used as a wadding for bedding and winter clothing, when most people  couldn't afford silk.  The  kanji for writing wadding (wata) 綿  is also used for cotton (momen).  Silk wadding pre-dates the introduction of cotton and is distinguished from cotton wadding by adding the kanji for true or genuine to become mawata 真綿.  Similarly cotton is often written with  the kanji for tree in front 木綿 but is still pronounced momen. 

Price includes GST and  regular postage within Australia