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Japan Mid to late Meiji (1880-1911) $15,000.00 An impressive silk hitoe (unlined) kimono featuring yuzen-dyed fan and bamboo motifs. Very good condition, with one discreet 1" silk split. 48" from sleeve-end to sleeve-end x 60" height. Red, yellow, green and blue fans are the predominant motif. The Japanese believe that the handle of the fan symbolizes the beginning of life and the bamboo ribs are for the roads of life going out in all directions. The fan also symbolizes friendship, respect and good wishes. As for the bamboo motifs, their evergreen leaves connote ‘constancy’, the evenly-spread nodes signify ‘moderation’, and its bending in the wind implies ‘moral resilience’. Additionally, there are ‘Yabane’ (arrow feather) motifs that embroidered at 45 degree angles: these motifs were created utilizing metallic and black ‘urushi’ threads. Urushi threads are lacquered, resulting in a stiff, shiny design on those parts. . Lacquer, the first plastic, was invented in Asia, and its use in Japan can be traced to prehistoric finds. With regards to valuable wood craftsmanship, lacquering becoming the predominant method of ornamentation in Japan by the seventeenth century. However, the lacquering of textile threads seems to have begun much later: this kimono is an early instance of its use on a garment – the technique was relatively popular during the Taisho and early Showa periods on both kimono and haori. 2450Contact Us About This Item: |