This unlined rayon summer kimono showcases the refined kata-yuzen dyeing technique through its elegant motifs of swallows and wisteria against a deep black ground. The composition features graceful swallows captured in dynamic flight poses, their wings spread in naturalistic detail, interspersed with cascading clusters of wisteria rendered in pale yellow and cream tones. The wisteria's distinctive drooping racemes are accompanied by stylized blue-green foliage and delicate tendrils that create flowing lines across the garment's surface.
The artistic treatment reflects the influence of the Meiji and Taisho period aesthetic movements that embraced both traditional Japanese motifs and Western naturalism. The swallows and wisteria carry profound symbolic meaning in Japanese culture - swallows represent good fortune, safe travel, and the arrival of spring, while wisteria symbolizes love, sensitivity, and the ephemeral nature of beauty. Together, these motifs create a poetic meditation on seasonal transition and renewal. The sophisticated color palette of muted yellows against the dramatic black silk demonstrates the technical mastery of kata-yuzen, where rice paste resist allows for precise color application and subtle gradations.
It measures 48 inches (122 cm) from sleeve-end to sleeve-end and stands at 55 inches (140 cm) in height.