Silk Dōunuki with Silkscreened Medallions and Geometric Panels

This silk dōunuki presents a lively interplay of pattern, color, and symbolic imagery, unified through the use of a silkscreened design technique that allows for crisp outlines and consistent repetition across the surface. The composition is organized into contrasting zones: a central field of warm ochre and cream rectangles interspersed with circular medallions, framed by bold diagonally striped panels in deep russet and tan tones. This deliberate structuring emphasizes the garment’s architectural form while creating visual rhythm as the eye moves across the surface.

Within the medallions appear auspicious motifs drawn from classical Japanese visual culture, including stylized birds, fans, and other emblematic forms associated with celebration, refinement, and good fortune. These motifs are rendered in a simplified, almost emblematic manner, reflecting early twentieth-century tendencies toward abstraction and graphic clarity. The surrounding geometric blocks echo the appearance of patchwork or layered textiles, subtly referencing older fabric traditions while reinterpreting them through modern design sensibilities.

The silkscreen process contributes to the textile’s distinctive character. Compared to resist-dyeing techniques, silkscreening produces flatter areas of color and sharper edges, qualities that reinforce the garment’s graphic impact and align it with contemporary design movements of its time. Minor tonal variations within the printed areas suggest careful hand-finishing rather than purely industrial production.

As a dōunuki, intended as an under-kimono or layered garment, the piece balances visual richness with structural restraint. Its sophisticated use of pattern-on-pattern, combining diagonal stripes with rectilinear blocks and circular emblems, exemplifies the innovative spirit of Japanese textile design during a period when traditional motifs were being reimagined through modern processes. The result is a textile that operates simultaneously as functional clothing and as a compelling work of decorative art.

It measures 50 inches from sleeve-end to sleeve-end and 60 inches in height (127 cm x 152 cm).

‍