Obi

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Artist/Maker	Unknown
Place of origin	Japan (made)

Kimono, the traditional garment of Japan, are secured with a long waist-sash called an obi. In the 19th century, when this example was made, women's obi were very wide and often elaborately woven or embroidered. Obi formed an important part of a costume and were tied, usually at the back, in a variety of styles.

Object details

Categories	Textiles Womenswear Accessories Embroidery
Object type	Obi
Materials and techniques	Silk velvet with embroidery in silk and gold metallic thread Silk (Textile) Metal Thread Velvet Weave Embroidering
Brief description	Obi, yellow silk velvet with coloured silk embroidery and gold thread, Japan, Edo period, early 19th century
Physical description	Obi of yellow cut silk velvet with designs embroidered on both sides in shades of green, orange, purple and gold metallic thread. The flowers depicted are peonies, paulownia and wisteria and within each floral grouping there is a lozenge and ox-cart wheel motif.
Dimensions	Length: 400cm Width: 25.5cm
Style	Edo (Japanese Period)
Gallery label	Kimono are secured around the waist with an obi. In the 18th century, those for women became much wider and more exuberant. They were often made of richly woven brocade, but the most elaborate were embroidered. Obi do not survive in large numbers. They were easily damaged by frequent tying and were not treasured and preserved in the same way as luxury kimono.
Credit line	Given by Mrs J Douglas Watson
Object history	Registered File number 1973/1886.
Subjects depicted	Peony Paulownia Wisteria Wheel Lozenges
Summary	Kimono, the traditional garment of Japan, are secured with a long waist-sash called an obi. In the 19th century, when this example was made, women's obi were very wide and often elaborately woven or embroidered. Obi formed an important part of a costume and were tied, usually at the back, in a variety of styles.
Bibliographic references	Illustrated in Anna Jackson, Japanese Textiles in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London: V&A Publications, 2000, page 120, plate 127 Jackson, Anna (editor), Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk, London: V&A Publications, 2020 Rout, Josephine, Japanese Dress in Detail, London: Thames & Hudson, 2020
Collection	East Asia Collection
Accession number	FE.23-1973

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Record created	February 24, 2003
Record URL	https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O74932/obi-unknown/

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