Meisen kimono

This 1930s Meisen silk kimono is a quintessential artifact of the early Showa era, capturing the energetic and rebellious spirit of the "Modern Girl" (Moga). The textile showcases the defining characteristic of Meisen weaving: the hogushi-giori (stencil-dyed warp) technique. By dyeing the vertical threads with stencils prior to weaving, the artist created a pattern that retains the complexity of a print but possesses the soft, fuzzy edges of a woven ikat. This intentional misalignment of the threads creates a "vibrating" visual texture, softening the boundaries between the high-contrast colors and giving the flat fabric a sense of depth and motion.

The visual composition is dominated by a radical enlargement of the traditional tatewaku (rising steam) motif. Historically, tatewaku consisted of thin, undulating lines representing good omens rising to the heavens; here, however, the motif has been exploded into massive, serpentine bands of acidic chartreuse and deep cerulean blue. Nestled within these oscillating curves are large, stylized blossoms—likely camellias (tsubaki) or peonies (botan)—rendered in bold red and white. The flowers are treated as graphic icons rather than naturalistic studies, floating rhythmically within the liquid architecture of the background stripes.

Artistically, this textile sits at the intersection of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, filtered through a Japanese lens. The sinuous, flowing lines of the vertical bands evoke the organic whiplash curves of Art Nouveau, while the bold, poster-like color palette and the repetitive, grid-defying structure lean toward the graphic punch of Art Deco and early Pop Art. The use of chemical dyes to achieve such saturated, non-natural colors (the electric blue and mustard yellow) marks a definitive break from the subtle vegetable dyes of the Edo period, celebrating instead the synthetic, industrial brightness of the modern 20th-century world.

It measures approximately 50 inches (127 cm) by 57 inches (145 cm).

This artwork is featured on page 219 of Art Kimono: Aesthetic Revelations of Japan, 1905-1960. This book, published by Yorke Antique Textiles, can be previewed or purchased on our website here.

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