Fukuro obi with gosho guruma (palace cart) design

Accession Number
2005/1.407

Title
Fukuro obi with gosho guruma (palace cart) design

Artist(s)
Japanese

Artist Nationality
Japanese (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
circa 1970-1979

Medium & Support
multi-colored silk brocade with gold-wrapped and gold-paper covered threads

Dimensions
171 5/8 in x 11 13/16 in (436 cm x 30 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Howard and Patricia Yamaguchi

Label copy
Like the kimono with the painted palace scenery, above, this obi has designs inspired by Japan’s classical Heian period, the ninth through twelfth centuries. Aristocrats of that period traveled by oxcarts, elaborately decorated and equipped with bamboo blinds for privacy. The sumptuous brocade that fills the entire length of this sash is typical of an obi worn only with formal kimono.
Maribeth Graybill, Recent Acquisitions of East Asian Art, November 5, 2005-May 14, 2006
--
In the language of kimono, colored tomesode are slightly less formal than black. A married woman would wear this type of kimono for the wedding of a nephew or niece or a business associate to whom she and her husband served as matchmakers. Colored tomesode are accompanied by brocade obi, here with gold embellishments, tied around the midsection; the sheer bulk and abundance of such an obi would have perfectly matched the festive mood of a wedding. Accessories are equally important for formal occasions: sandals made of multicolored woven silk fabric and a hand-woven obi cord would be worn with a colored tomesode and brocade obi.
(Wrapped in Silk & Gold Exhibition, Summer 2010)

Primary Object Classification
Costume and Costume Accessories

Primary Object Type
obi

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.

1 Related Resource

Marriage
(Part of 8 Learning Collections)

& Author Notes

Web Use Permitted