Kimono Ensemble with Chrysanthemums
Taishō period (1912–26)
Not on view
The 1920s witnessed the rise in Japan of associations of amateur chrysanthemum enthusiasts, and a stand of spectacular chrysanthemums commands the bottom of this kimono, with their slender petals curving dynamically upward against the rich blue ground. On the outer robe, the leaves are embroidered with couched gold metallic threads in circular details that may represent dewdrops and the family crest is resist dyed in white in five places. On the inner robe, the lower section echoes the chrysanthemum pattern of the outer robe both inside and out. The upper section is stitch-resist dyed on plain-weave silk with diagonal bands alternating turquoise and red, each with an incomplete geometric pattern of stylized hemp leaves (asa-no-ha). The vivid colors and the painterly execution of the pattern are characteristic of the Taishō period. A bride wore this kimono ensemble on her wedding day in 1923.
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