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The blue robe with floral patterns, generically referred to as a kimono, could be more properly referred to as a kosode or a furisode which is a type of kosode worn by young and unmarried women, according to many sources. The sleeve length of furisode range from “full length” at 105 cm, “medium length” at 90 cm, and “short length” at 75 cm long, according to Norio Yamanaka on page 54 in The Book of Kimono. This means that this specific garment is most likely medium length furisode, and judging on the bright colors and elaborate designs, was probably worn by an unmarried young lady.
The back of the blue furisode in the NowesArk Collection (see Figure 1 below) consists of two pieces of fabric that are 13 inches wide on top and about 12 inches wide on the bottom. They are sewn together to create a width of 24 inches at the bottom of the garment and 26.5 inches at the top of the garment in the back, not including the width of the sleeves. The right sleeve of the garment has a width on the top of about 12 1/2 inches and a width on the bottom of about 11 1/2 inches. The inner length of the sleeve near the body of the furisode is 26 inches and the outer length is about 35 1/2 inches. The left sleeve has the same measurements as the right sleeve but is a little less than half an inch longer on the inner length of the sleeve.
It has slits in the sleeves including a 10 inch slit in the outer right and left arms, a 26 inch slit in the right inner arm and a 26 1/2" slit in the left inner arm where the seam is slightly torn creating a longer distance. There is also a 5 1/2 inches long slit on the body of the furisode on both sides. The collar has a width of 2.5 inches and the removable belt has a width of 2 3/4 inches and a length of 64 1/2 inches. The front of the furisode is also formed by sewing four pieces to the back of the furisode, two on each side. The bottom of the left side of the front piece is 12 inches wide and the small part is 5 1/2 inches. The right side consists of a piece that is 11 3/4 inches wide and another piece that is 5 1/2 inches wide. The difference in these measurements shows that this furisode was hand-made and therefore does not have exact measurements everywhere. The full garment can be seen in Figure 1 below.
Figure 1: Furisode Detail |
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The garment was hand made in Japan probably between 1850 to 1900 and is made of silk crepe and lined with lightweight China silk. This garment is clearly hand stitched because some of the seams don’t line up and others are not perfectly sewed and most importantly the stitches can be seen in the seams. The pattern was created using a starch-resist method. This process is called Yuzen in Japan and was invented by Miyazaki Yuzen around 1688 to 1704 during the Edo period, according to Norio Yamanaka on page 48 of The Book of Kimono. This technique revolutionized dyeing and allowed for more delicate and detailed designs to be created. There are no visible paint strokes which helps identify the resist process, and in some places the blue dye of the background seeped into some of the other colors where the resist failed. The artist also used a technique called bokashi during the yuzen dyeing. Bokashi which means “shading or bleeding” and is why the flower petals and leaves are able to be multicolored, according to Dale Carolyn Gluckman on page 125 of When Art Became Fashion.
The designs on this kosode are quite ornate and beautiful. The designs on the front very carefully line up with the designs on the sleeves, however not every image is perfect, again because it was made by hand. See Figure 1 above for the relationship of the pattern. The designs on the sleeves also mirror each other so that they appear symmetrical. The most prevalent colors used on this kosode are blue, red, white, orange, green, pink, and purple which most sources would agree are most often worn during late summer or early fall. The designs include maple leaves, weeping cherry blossoms, peonies and irises all with related symbolism. Most sources agree that irises often represent victory and peonies are a symbol of regal power. Cherry blossoms are very important to the Japanese and are generally associated with the ephemeral nature of life, because they bloom for only a short period of time.
Figure 2: Detail of Flowers |
Figure 3: Detail of Lower Edge |
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This furisode also has kamon, or, a symbol of heraldry that dates back to the Heian period. There are five of them, three symbols on the back and two on the shoulders on the front of the garment. One of the five kamon can be seen at the bottom of Figure 2 above. This particular kamon would most likely be categorized with other ones depicting plants or flowers. As with most kamon, it is stylized of being realistic.
Damage
The blue furisode in the NowesArk Collection has gone through many repairs. It is apparent that the previous owner of this kosode took good care of it and tried to keep it in the best possible shape by making any needed repairs very carefully. It is possible that the furisode may have been shortened due to the way the pattern cuts off at the bottom. It has been partially relined with blue polyester fabric liner with a crepe finish. That process included some sewing by because the top stitching line is visible, but the hem was hand stitched showing the care taken by the owner. The garment has some holes due to teasing and is partially frayed. There are also some repairs done inside at the back of the neck where the same polyester fabric was added to help stabilize the garment. Finally, there is also some discoloration on the back of the neck where light exposure bleached the fabric. This probably occurred when light repeatedly touched the same spot.
This garment comes with a sash made of the same fabric as the rest of the it. This is unusual because a furisode in Japan would have been worn with an obi. Because this garment shows signs of possibly being shortened and this sash is of the same pattern as the bottom of the furisode, it is possible that the extra fabric was turned into a useful sash to tie the kosode closed. It may have even been worn to hold the furisode closed underneath an obi functioning like a koshi himo.
© Kennedy Erdossy, Class of 2019
Drama 475.001, Spring 2016 Semester
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill