Sarasa is decorated cotton cloth, either printed or hand-painted. Developed in India two thousand years ago, sarasa arrived in Japan after the sixteenth century, where it had an enormous artistic influence. This volume features Indian and Persian woodblock print designs and exquisite Persian textiles. In Japan, sarasa is used for everything from common wrapping cloths and futon covers to sophisticated obi for kimono.

The Shikosha Design Library is prepared under the supervision of Sachio Yoshioka, a fifth generation Kyoto dyer and frequent writer on dyeing techniques and the use of color.