Kimono, white crêpe silk with embroidered and resist-dyed designs, Japan, 1800-1850

Kimono of while crêpe (chirimen) silk. The all-over design consists of rocks and water with clouds above, bamboo, pine, chrysanthemums and plum blossoms excuted in freeehand paste resist dyeing (yuzen), stencil imitation tie-dyeing (surihitta) and embroidery. The garment is lined throughout with thin scarlet plain weave silk and there is a small wadded hem. Alterations have been made to the top part of the kimono. There is a seam at chest level which runs right round the garment proper as well as the lining. There is also a seam across the front of each of the sleeves at a slightly higher level than the chest seam. Two vertical inserts have been seamed into the back of the garment on either side of the usual back seam, and extended from the horizontal chest seam up to the collar band.

Purchased. Registered File number 1983/587.

See Nishimura H., Mailey, J., & Hayes, J., Tagasode: Whose sleeves...: Kimono from the Kanebo Collection, New York: Japan Society, 1976 NAL Bibliographic Reference No.: 78.N. Plate 35 for a similar example made in the more usual ramie and plate 15 for an earlier example made from silk crêpe.

This kimono, with its detailed landscape design, is of a style known as goshodoki (palace court style). It would have been worn on a formal occasion by a high-ranking woman of the samurai class, the ruling military elite of Japan during the Edo period (1615-1868).

FE.12-1983