Not currently on display at the V&A

Under-Kimono

1940 - 1949 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Under-kimono (juban or jiban) for a man. The garment is of the usual kimono construction but without the addition of extra material at each side of the front opening. The straight neckband extends to the hem and there is a double-layered overcollar, the bottom layer of dark blue ribbed silk, the top layer of black ribbed silk. The sleeves are open all the way up at the wrist side and closed at the body side. There is a natural-coloured silk lining which stops short of the hem and does not line the sleeves.
The design is mostly confined to the waist area (back and front) and consists of resist-dyed patterns. There are horizontal zig-zag bands with small circular motifs between, and larger circles above and below the bands. The patterns extend onto the sleeves and there are also widely-spaced circles across the hem. The motifs were achieved by various combinations of stitching and binding before dyeing the silk a rich brown colour.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Tie-dyed silk
Brief description
Juban for a man, brown and white tie-dyed silk, Japan, 1940s
Physical description
Under-kimono (juban or jiban) for a man. The garment is of the usual kimono construction but without the addition of extra material at each side of the front opening. The straight neckband extends to the hem and there is a double-layered overcollar, the bottom layer of dark blue ribbed silk, the top layer of black ribbed silk. The sleeves are open all the way up at the wrist side and closed at the body side. There is a natural-coloured silk lining which stops short of the hem and does not line the sleeves.
The design is mostly confined to the waist area (back and front) and consists of resist-dyed patterns. There are horizontal zig-zag bands with small circular motifs between, and larger circles above and below the bands. The patterns extend onto the sleeves and there are also widely-spaced circles across the hem. The motifs were achieved by various combinations of stitching and binding before dyeing the silk a rich brown colour.
Dimensions
  • Including collar length: 125cm
  • Across sleeves width: 129cm
Style
Object history
Purchased. Registered File number 1987/493.

The dates were assigned to this under-kimono and to FE.12, 13, 14 and 15-1987 by the vendor. No further work on the dating has been undertaken in the Department.
Historical context
For resist techniques of this kind and also pictures of under-kimono see Wada, Y., Kellogg Rice, M., & Barton, J., Shibori: The Inventive Art of Japanese Shaped Resist Dyeing, Tokyo: Kodansha, 1983. NAL Bibliographic Ref. No.: 505.F.31

For a 19th century juban see Stinchecum, A., Kosode: 16th - 19th Century Textiles from the Nomura Collection New York & Tokyo: Japan Society and Kodansha International, 1984, pp. 190-1, plate 56. NAL Bibliographic Ref. No.: 18.HH.158
Associated objects
Collection
Accession number
FE.11-1987

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Record createdFebruary 12, 2000
Record URL
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