donsu 緞子

Also written 純子. Patterned damask weave. A thick and glossy silk variety of shusu 繻子 (satin), with the design made by contrasting weave directions or through contrasting warp and weft colors. It is different from rinzu 綸子 (figured satin), because it is woven with dyed thread. In many cases, the back side is used as the ground to express a pattern. Common motifs include squared spirals, checkerboard squares, carp, clouds, and plum blossoms. Originally imported from Song dynasty China, later donsu from the Yuan and Ming were much used in Japan for tea ceremony *meibutsugire 名物裂 and hanging scroll *kakemono 掛物 mountings. In the Tenshō 天正 era (1573-92), a Chinese weaver introduced donsu to Sakai 堺, from which the technique spread to Kyoto.