Kimono
1800-1840 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The long 'swinging sleeves' (furisode) of this kimono indicate that it would have been worn by a young woman. Red was a popular choice for young women’s kimono because the colour symbolised youth and glamour. The dye, known as beni, was produced from safflowers and was very expensive. The whole garment is decorated using a tie-dyeing technique known as shibori, which was also very costly. The garment has been shortened at the waist, indicating that it was designed, or later adapted, to be an under-kimono. This may have been a result of sumptuary laws which prohibited the use of beni red, but placed no restrictions on undergarments or linings. Wearing the coveted colour in this way became very fashionable.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Figured satin weave silk (rinzu), with tie-dyeing (shibori) |
| Brief description | Kimono, figured satin silk (rinzu) with tie-dyed (shibori) decoration of hemp leaves and roundels of pine, bamboo and plum; Japan, 1800-40 |
| Physical description | Kimono for a young woman (furisode)of figured satin silk (rinzu). The rinzu has a self-pattern of small diapers and flowers. An overall pattern of hemp leaf with roundels of pine, bamboo and plum has been created using the kanoko shibori (tie-dye) technique. The red dye derives from beni-bana (safflower). The garment has been shortened at the waist for wearing as an under-kimono. It is lined with scarlet crêpe and it has a small wadded hem. |
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| Gallery label |
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| Object history | Purchased. Registered File number 1982/1022. |
| Historical context | For a similar furisode see one depicted in "Heads of Nine Beauties in a Roundel with Plum Blossom" by Hosoda Eishi (1756-1829) in the catalogue to the Royal Academy of Art's The Great Japan Exhibition: Art of the Edo Period 1600-1868, published in association with Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1981. NAL Bibliographic No.: 11.L.35. The painting is number 64A, and see also number 365 for another allover tie-dyed furisode - this garment has the background completely tie-dyed, the pictorial design being picked out by the coloured dye. The V&A's example has the design executed in tie-dye while the background has taken up the colour. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | The long 'swinging sleeves' (furisode) of this kimono indicate that it would have been worn by a young woman. Red was a popular choice for young women’s kimono because the colour symbolised youth and glamour. The dye, known as beni, was produced from safflowers and was very expensive. The whole garment is decorated using a tie-dyeing technique known as shibori, which was also very costly. The garment has been shortened at the waist, indicating that it was designed, or later adapted, to be an under-kimono. This may have been a result of sumptuary laws which prohibited the use of beni red, but placed no restrictions on undergarments or linings. Wearing the coveted colour in this way became very fashionable. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | FE.32-1982 |
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| Record created | January 7, 2000 |
| Record URL |
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