This meisen silk haori features large-scale motifs of temari (decorative handballs), arranged in rhythmic repetition across vertical bands of alternating color. The balls, rendered in ochre, cream, and teal with simple segmented planes, float over leafy vertical stripes in red, green, and black, creating a playful but structured visual field. The exaggerated scale of the motifs, combined with the simplified outlines, evokes the influence of Western modernism and the graphic dynamism of Art Deco.

The temari motif, originally a children’s plaything made from silk remnants, carried connotations of good fortune, femininity, and the continuity of cultural tradition. In this textile, the traditional motif is reinterpreted through abstraction, stripped of fine detailing and presented instead as bold spherical forms, almost like modernist graphic emblems. The vertical bands of foliage—stylized almost to the point of geometric patterning—frame the spheres and add upward energy to the composition, further recalling the Art Deco fascination with symmetry and rhythmic line.

Meisen weaving, with its slightly blurred edges and ikat-like character, reinforces the modernity of the design while maintaining the warmth and tactility of handwoven silk. The combination of vivid colors, playful scale, and stylized motifs embodies the democratization of fashion during this period, when meisen haori allowed women to embrace avant-garde design in everyday wear. The garment thus captures a transitional moment in Japanese textile art, where long-standing cultural symbols were recast in the bold visual language of global modernism.

Measurements: 50 inches (127 cm) by 31 inches (79 cm).