Tibet / China · Textile / Religious Craft / Appliqué
གོས་སྐུ (Göku)
Göku (གོས་སྐུ — 'cloth deity') is the Tibetan tradition of producing large-format Buddhist compositions in silk appliqué — cutting silk brocade and satin into figure shapes and assembling them on a fabric ground, rather than painting. The largest göku — hung on monastery walls during festivals — can be 30 × 20 meters, requiring years of production. The defining technical knowledge is the seam management: silk appliqué seams must be completely invisible at viewing distance — achieved by turning silk edges under by exactly 2mm before applying. The 2mm turn-under is the irreducible minimum — less than 2mm: edge frays during display; more than 2mm: seam ridge visible. Two millimeters is assessed by feel against the thumbnail.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Component of Tibetan Buddhist art inscriptions; China National ICH list
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