Long-sleeved Robe (Furisode) with Stylized Peonies

The work of Kon Wajiro (1888–1973) shows that at the beginning of the 1950s, many Japanese women continued to wear kimonos, even though half the women walking in the Ginza wore Western clothing, which was steadily growing in popularity. Even those who kept wearing kimono dressed their children in Western garments. Wearing kimono gradually became limited to formal occasions such as weddings, ceremonies, and the world of Japanese culture and arts, such as the theater, tea culture, and flower arranging. Wartime and postwar prohibitions on extravagance may have been lifted, but the country was still recovering. Many kimono patterns, such as the design of this kimono, were created in black, white, and primary colors. The stylized peonies are black and white against a rich, deep red ground. The patterns embellish only the hem area and the right shoulder in a bold composition. This elegant full-shibori garment was acquired in 1954 at the International Exhibition Center in Osaka. It has medium-long sleeves, making the dress appropriate for formal occasions and parties as well. The whole surface of the robe is embellished with tie-dying (sō-shibori). The word shibori comes from the Japanese verb shiboru, meaning “to wring, squeeze.” Kanoko (fawn spot) shibori, the most common variation of the technique, involves tying the fabric in small pinches with thread one by one to achieve the desired resist pattern. The cloth sensitively records both the form and the pressure; the “memory” of the tied shape remains imprinted in the fabric, often creating a unique texture.