Not currently on display at the V&A

Kimono

late 19th century - early 20th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The cloth for this kimono was made in Niigata, a mountainous area in north-west Japan. In the 19th century, Niigata, or Echigo as it was then known, became famous for its fine quality ramie cloth characteristically patterned with a small hatched design. Although woven in quite a remote rural area, this linen-like fabric was used for kimono worn by wealthy merchants and samurai in large cities such as Edo (present-day Tokyo), Osaka and Kyoto.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Bast fibre woven with selectively pre-dyed yarns (kasuri)
Brief description
Kimono, bast fibre woven with selectively pre-dyed yarns (kasuri), Japan, prossibly Niigata Prefecture, late 19th - early 20th century
Physical description
Kimono of ramie woven with selectively pre-dyed yarns (kasuri) in a small-scale hatched pattern in white on a blue ground. The top section is lined with fine white cotton of fairly open plain weave.
Dimensions
  • Length: 139.0cm
  • Width: 131.0cm
Styles
Object history
Purchased. Registered File number 1982/1458.
Historical context
Thre is a similar fragment of kasuri hemp in the textile sample album T.172-1963, with the provenance Echigo province (Niigata Prefecture).
Summary
The cloth for this kimono was made in Niigata, a mountainous area in north-west Japan. In the 19th century, Niigata, or Echigo as it was then known, became famous for its fine quality ramie cloth characteristically patterned with a small hatched design. Although woven in quite a remote rural area, this linen-like fabric was used for kimono worn by wealthy merchants and samurai in large cities such as Edo (present-day Tokyo), Osaka and Kyoto.
Bibliographic reference
Jackson, Anna, Japanese Country Textiles, London: V&A Publications, 1997, page 61, fig 36
Collection
Accession number
FE.52-1982

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Record createdFebruary 12, 2000
Record URL
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