Kimono
1780-1820 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Around the shoulders of this kimono are embroidered characters relating to a poem in the 10th-century Kokinshu anthology. By choosing to have a literary theme on her kimono, the woman who wore this garment was demonstrating her taste and cultural discernment. Characters acted as a playful way of inviting people to literally ‘read’ something of her personality through her clothes.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Figured satin weave silk with polychrome embroidered and stencilled decoration |
| Brief description | Kimono, white figured silk satin with embroidered and resist-dyed decoration, Japan, 1780-1820 |
| Physical description | Kosode (kimono with small sleeve openings) of white figured satin (rinzu) with a 1/4 weft-faced figure of key fret and flowers on a 4/1 warp-faced ground. The all-over vertical design is of nandina branches and across the shoulders back and front are characters. Both the nandina and the characters are depicted in orange-red, green and gold embroidery, black pigment, and in red-brown stencilling to imitate tie-dye (kata kanoko). The sleeves of the garment have an inserted section at the bottom back and consequently the design does not match across this extra horizontal seam. The garment is lined with plain weave thin silk, probably a later renewal. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Marks and inscriptions | (Beginning on the back sleeve with the character kimi, the poem continues across the back and onto the front. This Heian period (794-1185) poem which was adopted as the Japanese national anthem during the Meiji era (1868-1912). ) |
| Gallery label |
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| Object history | Purchased. Registered File number 1985/311. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | Around the shoulders of this kimono are embroidered characters relating to a poem in the 10th-century Kokinshu anthology. By choosing to have a literary theme on her kimono, the woman who wore this garment was demonstrating her taste and cultural discernment. Characters acted as a playful way of inviting people to literally ‘read’ something of her personality through her clothes. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | FE.19-1986 |
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| Record created | June 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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