Woman’s Kimono

The characters "kimono" in Japanese simply mean "clothing." The two basic kinds of kimono are kosode and furisode, which are distinguished by the length of the sode (sleeves). Sleeve length refers to how far down the sleeve falls from the outstretched arm, and the short sleeves on this kimono suggest that it was meant to be worn by an older and/or married woman.

THe shoulders and hem designs on this kimono give it a more formal air, but the printed design does not reflect Japanese tastes in color or composition. This suggests that it was probably mad for export.

The design on the silk fabric used to make this coat was printed using a technique called katazome, in which rice past-resist (norizome) is applied to the textile through stencils (as opposed to being painted free-hand from a tube in the tsutsugake technique). Since the introduction of European synthetic dyes in the late 19th century, the past is often mixed with chemical dyes before being applied. An interesting feature of this otherwise rather odd garment is the purposeful bleeding of the coral-colored dye on the hem into the edges of the lining.

Techniques: hand painted, katazome
Culture: Japanese
Geographic Location: East Asia, Japan
Credit Line: Gift of Yvonne Porcella