Antique Japanese Nabesima Dantsu Rug
Antique Japanese Nabesima Dantsu Rug
Carpet weaving was introduced in Japan during the 17th century, when rugs began to be imported as luxury goods from China. Since Taisho period in the early 20th century, rugs were commonly referred to as ‘Dantsu’, deriving from the Chinese word for carpets, ‘Tantsu’.
The earliest Japanese pile carpets attempted to imitate Chinese prototypes. Large scale weaving began during the 18th century employing cotton yarn for the pile, since animal fibre was considered for some reason ‘unclean’. At the beginning of the Meiji period (1868-1912), Dantsu rugs were still quite rare and regarded as items of great prestige. Rugs with early Ningxia Chinese patterns derived from the Ming and Kangxi periods, like the present example, were woven in the Nabesima carpet factory, typically in small format and very rarely in room-size dimensions like the piece presented here. These were originally destined either as gifts to Lord Nabesima own family, for the Shogun or for the Imperial Court. Records indicate that these were already quite costly at the time. Owning a Nabesima Dantsu was regarded as a sign of great wealth.