Accession Number
2016/2.77

Title
Kimono

Artist(s)
Japanese

Artist Nationality
Japanese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
mid- to late-20th century

Medium & Support
silk

Dimensions
62 in x 48 in (157.48 cm x 121.92 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. Kazuko Miyake

Label copy
Kimono with design of wisteria
Japan
Shōwa period (1926–89)
Mid to late 20th century
Silk with hand-painted designs and embroidery
Gift of Mrs. Kazuko Miyake, 2016/2.77

By the mid-twentieth century in Japan, kimono were
primarily worn on formal or special occasions. This is a
hōmongi, a kimono now considered a semi-formal garment
for married women. It is difficult to know the intended
meaning of the wisteria design, but there is potentially
a poetic connection between fuji (wisteria) and Mt. Fuji,
especially because the shade of pale blue, called "wisteria
colored" in Japanese, is reminiscent of the light blue color
of Mount Fuji when it is seen from a distance. The use of
homonyms to layer meaning has a long history in the arts
of Japan.
The wisteria blossoms in the garment are produced using
different techniques: some are woven into the figured silk
fabric; the orange and white blossoms were produced using
a resist-dyeing technique called yūzen; and individual petals
and leaves were embroidered, giving the blossoms a greater
sense of depth and movement.

Japan: Wall Label 6.875" W x 8.875" H Asian_Labels_Fall_2018_8-21-18_ALL.indd

Subject matter

The wisteria motif was popular among the Heian era nobles (794-1185).

Houmongi is a semi-formal kimono that can be worn by both married and single women for social events. It is called second-class formal wear.

Houmongi is created by a patterning method called “Eba:” the pattern is dyed in such a way that it creates an unbroken design across the seams when the kimono is sewn together.

Yuzen is a stretch-resist dyeing technique invented by Miyazaki Yuzen, a famous Kyoto fan-painter during the Gentoku era (1688-1704). Yuzen has two dyeing styles: “Tegaki Yuzen” hand painting and “Kata Yuzen” stencil dyeing.

“Tegaki Yuzen” is the more traditional technique. Its hand-painting skills create beautiful and elaborate designs. “Tegaki Yuzen” is named differently according to the place in which it was produced: Kyo Yuzen (Kyoto), Kaga Yuzen (Ishikawa) and Tokyo Yuzen (Tokyo). They are the three major Yuzen in Japan. Among these, Kyo Yuzen is considered the most gorgeous and elegant

Garments with no inner lining (hitoe) are less formal and are typically worn in between seasons.

Physical Description

light blue (probably silk) houmongi  kimono with tegaki yuuzen (hand-painted stencil dyed) and embroidered white, light green, and orange fujimoyou (wisteria) motifs with no inner lining (hitoe).

Primary Object Classification
Costume and Costume Accessories

Primary Object Type
kimono

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form. Keywords
kimonos
light blue
light green
orange (color)
silk (silkworm material)