Meisen kimono with books and yarn spools

ca. 1935–40

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

This is an example of a classic “Taishō-mode” meisen kimono. An array of large-scale green and white open books and red yarn spools decorated with mandarin oranges and streams are arranged in an all-over design that minimalizes the black ground. Although both books and yarn spools were favored motifs in the Edo period (1615–1868), the combination of the two reflects contemporary ideas. The juxtaposition of everyday objects likely points to education becoming gradually more accessible to women and their increasing role in the textile industry. The kimono was probably produced in Isesaki City, in Gunma Prefecture (north of Tokyo). Brightly colored Isesaki meisen became popular from the Meiji period (1868–1912).

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

黒地冊子糸巻模様銘仙着物
Title: Meisen kimono with books and yarn spools
Period: Shōwa period (1926–89)
Date: ca. 1935–40
Culture: Japan
Medium: Plain-weave machine-spun silk with silver-thread wefts in double ikat (heiyō-gasuri)
Dimensions: 59 × 47 1/4 in. (149.9 × 120 cm)
Classification: Costumes
Credit Line: Promised Gift of John C. Weber
Curatorial Department: Asian Art