Obi

Accession Number
2016/2.28

Title
Obi

Artist(s)
Japanese

Artist Nationality
Japanese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
mid- to late-20th century

Medium & Support
silk brocade

Dimensions
151 in x 12 in (383.54 cm x 30.48 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Kazuko Miyake

Subject matter

This is a Nagoya obi in otaiko gara.

Nagoya obi were first produced at the end of the Taisho era, and are shorter than the more formal fukuro and maru obi. A portion of Nagoya obi fabric is folded and stitched in half to make tying easier.  Gara refers to the orientation, arrangement, and surface area of the patterns and pertains to a specific trend and obi tying style.

The patterning in the Otaiko gara type is minimal. A few concentrated spots of patterned motif lie on the obi while the rest is left blank. This style was invented during the Edo period (1615-1868) by the female entertainers in Fukugawa, an entertainment district in present-day Tokyo.



Physical Description

Off-white and gold speckled Nagoya Obi with various  interwoven gray gold, gray, orange, and green motifs. The interwoven motifs consist of a gold cloud background on which a treasure box decorated with violet, orange, and green seigaiha (wave crest) motif patterning and a vase decorated with hexagonal orange, green, and navy blue paulownia leaf motif patterning, a fishing rod, and water ripple motifs, and gunbai uchiwa (fan held by sumo wrestler referee) are depicted to possibly narrate the Urashima Tarou tale.



Primary Object Classification
Costume and Costume Accessories

Primary Object Type
obi

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
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Keywords
boxes (containers)
hexagonal
obis

& Author Notes

All Rights Reserved