Kanton-ban (Buddhist Ritual Banner) in Plain-Weave Silk 広東平絹幡かんとんへいけんばん

Description

To make the cloth used in the upper section of this banner, specific sections of the vertical warp threads were dyed different colors before being woven together, in a technique called “warp ikat,” rendered here on a red ground. Such banners were called “Kanton” (Guangdong) banners from the Edo period (1603–1868) onward. Textiles from the 7th century that were dyed using warp ikat techniques are common in the collection passed down at Hōryūji Temple. In contrast, there are virtually no textiles made using this technique in the collection of Tōdaiji Temple’s Shōsōin repository, which mostly contains works from the 8th century. The warp ikat cloth used in this ritual banner was probably chosen for this purpose due to its value as an import from Korea.