Accession Number
2005/1.328

Title
Obi

Artist(s)
Japanese

Artist Nationality
Japanese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
circa 1975

Medium & Support
silk with large woven designs in gold-leafed paper

Dimensions
186 5/8 in x 12 3/8 in (474 cm x 31.5 cm);29 15/16 in x 18 1/8 in x 6 5/16 in (76 cm x 46 cm x 16 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Howard and Patricia Yamaguchi

Label copy
Gallery Rotation Winter 2013
Obi
Japan, Showa period (1926–1989)
1970s
Ivory colored sateen weave silk with large woven designs in gold-leafed paper
Gift of Howard and Patricia Yamaguchi, 2005/1.328
This luminous gold and silver brocade obi, called a maruobi, would be worn with the most formal kimono. Maruobi consist of four meters of solid brocade cloth fifty centimeters wide and are so heavy that in the contemporary era they have become almost obsolete. This one is decorated with wisteria, which bloom in early summer in Japan and have been depicted on kimono for many centuries.
Since the fifteenth century the Nishijin area of the city of Kyoto has dominated the production of the high-quality woven textiles used for obi, which flourished in the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568–1615) with the protection and encouragement of the flamboyant military rulers Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582) and Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536–1598). The production of Nishijin textiles is very complex and specialized in five main areas—designing and creating patterns, producing silk threads, producing tools (including weaving machines), weaving, and final sewing—each accomplished in a different workshop.

; Label copy
These gorgeous obi, all made of brocade, were intended to be worn with and complement formal kimono for festive events such as weddings and New Year’s gatherings. Some are designed with motifs, shapes, and colors that have auspicious meaning. For example, the green obi with the gold hexagonal shapes refers to eternity (evergreen) and longevity (the hexagon is a traditional symbol of a tortoise shell). Others have classic motifs, such as the off-white obi with drums and ox carts based on the Tale of Genji, an eleventh-century novella. 
​These obi were made in the Nishijin area of the city of Kyoto, which has dominated the production of high-quality woven textiles since the fifteenth century. The weaving industry flourished there under the protection and encouragement of the flamboyant military rulers of the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568–1615), Oda Nobunaga (1534–1582) and Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536–1598). The production of Nishijin textiles is very complex, and specialized in five main areas—designing and creating patterns, producing silk threads, producing tools (including weaving machines), weaving, and final sewing—each accomplished in a different workshop. 

; Label copy
Obi
Japan, Showa period (1926–1989)
circa 1975
Silk with large woven designs in gold-leafed paper
Gift of Howard and Patricia Yamaguchi, 2005/1.328

Subject matter
The gold used here is pure gold. A maru obi (woven double width on a loom) with a continuous design on both sides is the most formal kind of obi, used with tomesode kimono.
This gorgeous obi, made of brocade, was intended to be worn with and complement formal kimono for festive events such as weddings and New Year’s gatherings. 
This obi was made in the Nishijin area of the city of Kyoto, which has dominated the production of high-quality woven textiles since the fifteenth century. The production of Nishijin textiles is very complex, and specialized in five main areas—designing and creating patterns, producing silk threads, producing tools (including weaving machines), weaving, and final sewing—each accomplished in a different workshop. 

Physical Description
Maru obi with ivory colored sateen weave silk (shusu) with large woven paulownia designs in gold-leafed paper (kinran)

Primary Object Classification
Costume and Costume Accessories

Primary Object Type
obi

Additional Object Classification(s)
Textile

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
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Keywords
floral patterns
kimonos
obis