The art on this textile, a brocade uchikake from Kyoto's Nishijin weaving district, features a creamy beige ground with subtle, textured branching patterns that evoke pine trees or craggy landscapes, interwoven with metallic gold and silver threads that create a dimensional heaviness and striking luminosity under direct light, a hallmark of Nishijin's intricate yarn-dyed techniques using pre-dyed silks for complex, embroidered-like effects. Over this base float sinuous, swirling motifs in a rainbow of hues—including blues, greens, purples, oranges, and golds—that resemble flowing mist or auspicious clouds enveloping a mythical scene, akin to depictions of the Island of Paradise (Horai) with elements like pines symbolizing longevity and resilience, common in bridal over-robes meant to trail elegantly without a sash. This design evokes the Taisho period's modernist influences, particularly Art Deco and elements of Art Nouveau, where traditional Japanese aesthetics merged with Western trends like asymmetrical, flowing lines and eclectic motifs to form the romantic Taisho Roman style, reflecting Japan's cultural hybridization during an era of rapid Westernization and artistic experimentation. The cloud-like motifs carry rich symbolism in Japanese textiles, representing life's impermanence and the fleeting nature of existence, while also serving as harbingers of good fortune through rain-bringing prosperity, hope, and divine proximity, making them especially fitting for a wedding garment to bestow blessings of adaptability, harmony, and auspicious beginnings upon the wearer.

It measures 49 inches (124 cm) from sleeve-end to sleeve-end and stands at a height of 63 inches (160 cm).

This artwork is featured on pages 350-351 of Ceremonial Textiles of Japan, 18th to 20th Centuries. This book, published by Yorke Antique Textiles, can be previewed or purchased on our website here.

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