This chirimen silk haori presents a striking interpretation of the traditional sensu (folding fan) motif through the lens of contemporary silkscreen printing technology. The composition features dramatically oversized fans arranged in an asymmetrical scatter pattern against a deep black ground, their surfaces decorated with landscape vignettes that include flowing water, mountainous terrain, and delicate botanical elements rendered in a sophisticated palette of blues, purples, golds, and creams. The design reflects the period's embrace of bold scale and graphic impact, demonstrating clear influence from Art Deco's emphasis on dramatic contrast and geometric arrangement, while the silkscreen technique allows for the precise registration of complex multi-colored imagery that would have been difficult to achieve through traditional textile methods.
The fan motif carries rich cultural significance in Japanese tradition, symbolizing prosperity, good fortune, and the unfolding of life's possibilities, while also serving as a metaphor for the transient nature of beauty and the cyclical passage of seasons. During this era of rapid social change and modernization, the choice to monumentalize this traditional object speaks to both cultural pride and artistic innovation. The landscape elements within each fan create miniature worlds that reference classical Japanese painting traditions, particularly the genre of landscape screens and scroll paintings, while the overall composition's bold graphic quality aligns with international modernist design principles.
It measures 51 inches (130 cm) from sleeve-end to sleeve-end and stands at a height of 34 inches (86 cm).