Sarasa-Exuberant cotton fabrics with vibrant foils and flowers; Masterpieces from the Museum Collection

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Exhibition Layout and Main Exhibits

Part 1: It All Started In India

The tradition of producing pattern-dyed fabrics in India has a very long history. These beautiful, dyed textiles were already known to ancient Romans by the beginning of the Common Era. The textiles were exported very early on. During 16^th to 17^th century, they were known as “sarassa” or “saraça”. In Japan, they came to be known as “sarasa”.

Part 2: Sacred Sarasa Fabric Handed Down As Family Heirloom

This section introduces Indian sarasa inherited among the Toraja, an ethnic group indigenous to Sulawesi, a mountainous island in Indonesia. The Toraja highly treasure their own hand-made dyed textiles as well as imported Indian sarasa fabrics, and use them in sacred rituals.

Part 3: Various Designs From Different Cultures That Crossed The Seas

Indian sarasa became widely exported to all parts of the world during the Age of Exploration. A wide variety of these textiles were created to meet the demands of different markets. The sarasa design introduced in this section are fabrics intended for Indonesia, Siam (Thailand), and Europe, but some designs were widely popular regardless of the regions.

Part 4: Sarasa That Fascinated Japanese People In The Edo Period

Indian sarasa was exported to Japan in the latter half of 16^th century. They were made as kosode (old-style kimono) which became extremely popular. Sarasa was also used to wrap boxes containing tea ceremony utensils. However, when roller printing and chemical dyes were invented in Europe in the 19^th century, European sarasa with even brighter colours was created. As a result, these fabrics replaced a majority of Indian sarasa imports.

Part 5: Batik, A Blooming Sarasa Culture In Java

Indonesian batik (Java sarasa) has diverse patterns. Traditional Javanese patterns were combined with foreign designs, creating an original pattern. In Sumatra, a zigzag pattern along the edges of batik is preferred. This pattern was introduced to Indonesia through Indian sarasa, showing a deep relationship between both countries.

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