This striking 1930s summer kimono features bold geometric cross motifs rendered in vivid red, yellow, and black with white accents, set against a luminous aqua-turquoise ground. The crosses are composed of intersecting horizontal and vertical bars with characteristic softly feathered edges — a hallmark of the katazome stencil-dyeing technique, in which rice paste is applied through cut stencils to resist the dye. The slight bleeding at the edges of each bar lends the rigid geometry an organic warmth, a tension between precision and handcraft that is central to katazome's aesthetic appeal.

The design is remarkably avant-garde for its period. The repeating geometric crosses, primary color palette, and flat, non-representational composition strongly evoke the De Stijl movement and the work of Piet Mondrian, whose grid-based paintings in red, yellow, blue, black, and white were being created in Europe during this same era. There are also clear affinities with Constructivism and the Bauhaus school, both of which championed geometric abstraction and the integration of art into everyday life — a philosophy that Japanese textile artists were independently pursuing through wearable art. The bold, almost confrontational use of color and pattern also anticipates elements of Pop Art by several decades.

The cross or "jūmonji" motif in Japanese textile tradition can carry multiple layers of meaning. It may reference crossroads or intersections, symbolizing choice and auspicious encounters, while in some interpretations it serves as a protective talisman. However, on this garment, the motif appears to be employed primarily for its graphic power rather than its symbolic weight — reflecting the 1930s Taishō-to-early-Shōwa spirit of embracing modernity and Western-influenced abstraction while retaining distinctly Japanese craft traditions. The result is a garment that could hang comfortably alongside a Mondrian canvas, yet remains unmistakably a product of Japan's extraordinary textile renaissance.

The kimono measures 50" (128cm) across the shoulders x 59" (149 cm) in height

‍

‍