eginu　絵絹

KEY WORD :　art history / paintings

Silk used for painting. Plain, nonglossy raw silk was favored. Called huajuan (Jp; *gaken 画絹) in China. Until the Nara period in Japan, paper and hemp were used for painting, but from the Heian period onwards, eginu was employed. The very oldest silk was finely woven, but during the Muromachi period, a coarser weave called ashikagaginu 足利絹 was employed. In addition to plain weaves, patterned weaves (such as aya 綾; twill weave silk, and nume 絖; satin weave silk) were popular. The width of woven silk in Japan is generally 30-60cm., but some oversized pieces were woven for special commissions. For example, the width of the silk used for the Kamakura period, Mandala of the Womb World *Taima mandara 当麻曼荼羅 in Zenrinji 禅林寺, Kyoto, is approximately 390.7 cm. However, usually, when a wider piece of silk was needed, two or more pieces were sewn together. Today various sizes of silk are woven.

REFERENCES:

EXTERNAL LINKS:

NOTES:

(C)2001 Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System.　No reproduction or republication without written permission. 掲載のテキスト・写真・イラストなど、全てのコンテンツの無断複製・転載を禁じます。