Accession Number
2005/1.387

Title
Green summer crested kimono with shibori (tie-dyed) pattern of vertical stripes and maybe wax-resisted cloud designs

Artist(s)
Japanese

Artist Nationality
Japanese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
circa 1980-1989

Medium & Support
white silk crepe with green tie-dyed design

Dimensions
62 3/8 in. x 53 1/8 in. ( 158.5 cm x 135 cm )

Credit Line
Gift of Howard and Patricia Yamaguchi

Label copy
Unlined kimono, called hitoe (meaning “single layer”) kimono, generally are worn from the beginning of June through the end of September. Hitoe kimono are made of silk, hemp, or cotton, and worn over a nagajuban (underkimono).
For highly formal occasions such as weddings, lined kimono are preferred, worn with summer obi such as the black one here, which is made of light, silk gauze with large floral medallions. According to Iwata Shizuko, this obi was worn with hômongi, one of the formal types of kimono.
Motifs on summer kimono and obi are often related to the season. The light blue obi with a gold-leaf-wrapped design of irises is for early summer, when these flowers are in bloom. Abstract designs based on water and waves are popular as well. Subdued, cool colors, such as those of the green hitoe kimono on display, are preferred for summer kimono and obi.
(Wrapped in Silk & Gold Exhibition, Summer 2010)

Subject matter
This summer kimono required a labor intensive technique called shibori, in which hundreds of hours would have been spent tying up each small section where white can be seen on the fabric before immersing it in dye. Shibori textiles are very expensive due to the time and skill required to produce them.

Physical Description
White silk crepe (repp weave) unlined summer kimono with green shibori (tie-dyed) pattern of vertical stripes and maybe wax-resisted cloud design. Vertical lines look a bit like wood-grain.

Primary Object Classification
Costume and Costume Accessories

Primary Object Type
kimono

Additional Object Classification(s)
Textile

Collection Area
Asian

Rights
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Keywords
kimonos
stripes