Accession Number
2005/1.389

Title
Black kimono with painted and gilt floral designs

Artist(s)
Japanese

Artist Nationality
Japanese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
1940s-1950s

Medium & Support
silk crepe with painted designs

Dimensions
58 11/16 in. x 53 1/8 in. ( 149 cm x 135 cm )

Credit Line
Gift of Howard and Patricia Yamaguchi

Label copy

Black kimono with painted and gilt floral designs

Japan
Sho ̄wa period (1926–1989)
1940s–50s
Silk crepe with painted and gilt designs
Gift of Howard and Patricia Yamaguchi, 2005/1.389

The technique used to create the design on this kimono is yuzen, which was developed in seventeenth-century Japan. Yuzen requires a great deal of skill and labor: first, the maker creates a design using a rice-paste resist. After the cloth is dyed, the resist is removed and the remaining design and details are hand painted.

This kimono is part of a gift of more than 200 traditional Japanese garments donated to UMMA in 2005 and 2013 by Patricia and Howard Yamaguchi. Their original owner was Howard Yamaguchi’s mother, Shizuko Iwata, whose own mother, Shizuka Iwata, was a pioneering businesswoman in early twentieth-century Japan. Shizuka commissioned lavish sets of kimono, obi, and haori for her five daughters.

Subject matter
The technique used to create the design on this kimono is yuzen, developed in 17th century Japan. Yuzen require much skill and hard work, by first protecting the design area with a rice-paste resist and dying the rest of the cloth. Afterwards, the resist is removed and the design and details are hand-painted.

Physical Description
This black silk crepe kimono is decorated with chrysanthemum motifs, and has an inner red lining.

Primary Object Classification
Costume and Costume Accessories

Primary Object Type
kimono

Additional Object Classification(s)
Textile

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
floral patterns
kimonos
silk (silkworm material)