This summer silk kimono presents a vibrant, high-contrast design set against a cool, aquatic turquoise background. The pattern features large, floating geometric motifs resembling cross-hatches or intersecting grids. These motifs are rendered in a bold, primary-adjacent palette of bright yellow and red, accented with white bars and anchored by a central black square at each intersection. A defining feature of this textile is the masterful use of katazome (stencil dyeing) to create a trompe-l'œil effect; the edges of the colored bars are deliberately "feathered" or jagged. This mimics the aesthetic of kasuri (ikat), a technique where threads are dyed prior to weaving to create a soft, blurred appearance. By using stencils to simulate this woven look, the artist achieved the softness of ikat but with a graphical precision and color saturation that traditional weaving rarely permits.
The textile strongly evokes the aesthetics of early 20th-century Modernism, specifically the De Stijl movement and Constructivism. The reliance on geometric abstraction, grid-like structures, and a color palette dominated by red, yellow, and blue (via the background) draws a clear parallel to the works of Piet Mondrian. In the context of Japanese textile history, this design reflects the Taisho Roman or early Showa Modern era (roughly 1912–1950s). During this time, Western art deco and avant-garde influences merged with traditional Japanese garments, resulting in "Meisen-style" patterns that favored bold, graphic, and cosmopolitan designs over traditional naturalistic motifs like flowers or birds.
Symbolically, the cross-hatch motif appears to be a highly stylized, abstract variation of the igeta (well curb) pattern, representing a wooden frame around a well—a symbol of life-giving water. However, the abstraction here is so significant that the pattern serves more as a celebration of geometry than a literal representation. The kasuri style of the edges carries its own symbolism; the blurred lines suggest vibration or movement, akin to rippling water or a shifting breeze. On a summer kimono, this visual "blurring" is intended to evoke a sense of coolness and airiness for the wearer, visually combating the heat of the season.
The kimono measures 50" (128cm) across the shoulders x 59" (149 cm) in height