This silk juban represents one of the rarest surviving examples of regional folk art translated into haute textile craftsmanship from the early Meiji period. The garment's significance lies in its depiction of the Suzume Odori (Sparrow Dance), a beloved folk performance that originated in Sendai around 1603 when exuberant stonemasons celebrating the completion of Date Masamune's castle spontaneously created a dance mimicking sparrows' pecking and hopping movements. Against the deep indigo ground, delicate bamboo fronds rendered in pale cream create an elegant backdrop for the whimsical dancing figures, each portrayed with remarkable attention to detail in their distinctive sparrow-inspired costumes. The dancers wear characteristic wide-brimmed hats and flowing wing-like sleeves that capture the essence of the sparrow's movement, their poses frozen mid-dance in attitudes that convey both the folk tradition's rustic origins and its evolution into refined entertainment.

The artistic execution demonstrates the sophisticated hand-painting techniques, where each dancer is individually characterized with subtle variations in posture and expression, creating a sense of animated performance across the textile surface. The compositional arrangement reflects Japanese aesthetic principles of asymmetrical balance, with the bamboo motifs serving both decorative and symbolic functions—bamboo being central to the Date family crest and representing resilience and flexibility. This juban's rarity as the only known 19th-century textile depicting the Sparrow Dance speaks to the localized nature of regional folk traditions and their occasional elevation into luxury goods for sophisticated patrons who appreciated both the cultural significance and artistic merit of such specialized motifs. The garment thus serves as both intimate apparel and cultural artifact, preserving a moment of spontaneous joy that became institutionalized celebration through the medium of Japan's most refined textile arts.

It shows signs of silk splitting on either side of the collar, and measures 49 inches (124 cm) from sleeve-end to sleeve-end and standing at 50 inches (127 cm) in height.

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