This extraordinary kimono represents a masterful synthesis of traditional Japanese textile techniques with the emerging aesthetic sensibilities of the Meiji period, demonstrating how artisans were reimagining familiar motifs through increasingly sophisticated technical processes. The composition brilliantly combines the geometric precision of alternating golden yellow and black vertical stripes with the organic, scattered placement of richly embroidered thread bobbins, creating a visual dialogue between industrial order and craft tradition. This interplay reflects the period's complex relationship with modernization, where traditional handicraft symbols like bobbins gained new resonance as Japan was rapidly industrializing and mechanizing its textile production.

The artistic approach anticipates several key developments in early 20th-century design, particularly the Arts and Crafts movement's celebration of handwork and the later Art Nouveau fascination with objects from daily life transformed into decorative motifs. The meticulous multi-stage production process—involving initial crepe silk preparation, shibori resist-dyeing, selective yellow dyeing, hand-painted black striping, and finally dimensional embroidery—represents an almost obsessive commitment to technical perfection that elevates functional craft imagery into high art. The bobbins themselves, rendered with three-dimensional silk and metallic thread embroidery, appear to float against the striped ground like precious objects, suggesting both nostalgia for handcraft traditions and pride in textile artistry.

The detailed views reveal the remarkable sophistication of the embroidery work, where individual bobbins are given sculptural presence through varied thread textures and metallic accents that catch light and create visual depth. The white borders that frame each bobbin create a sense of precious containment, as if these tools of the trade were being preserved as cultural artifacts. This kimono exemplifies the Meiji period's unique ability to honor traditional craft while embracing new aesthetic possibilities, creating a work that functions simultaneously as a celebration of textile artistry and a meditation on the changing nature of production in modern Japan.

The kimono measures 50 inches (127 cm) from sleeve-end to sleeve-end and stands at a height of 62 inches (157.5 cm).

Traditionally, the silk-reel bobbin (itomaki) motif symbolizes the Tanabata festival, commemorating the yearly reunion of the Herdsman (Altair) and Weaver Girl (Vega) stars on the seventh day of the seventh month. According to legend, the Weaver Girl, daughter of the Celestial Emperor, fell in love with a Herdsman, neglecting her weaving duties. As punishment, they were separated by the Heavenly River (Milky Way) until the seventh day of the seventh month when they could reunite for a single night. The silk-reel bobbins on this kimono symbolize the Tanabata festival and were historically used by the Japanese for appeasing vengeful spirits.