This listing is for a vintage Japanese kimono from the Fuller Collection (see details of that below).

This kimono features patterning and dye work associated with early in the 19th Century - could have been made in the 1920s - 1940s.  Other aspects that suggest that time period are the type of silk (slighlty crepe), the sleeve and overall length compared to the narrow bodice measurement, and the red lining.  Still, there are no tags on vintage kimono, so it is impossible to state exactly when it was made.

The two phoenix (Oo or Ho-o birds in Japanese) are different from each other, but both are nestles in a patch of garden that is beautifully, gracefully drawn and shaded.  Some of the blossoms have embroidered accents

The single family crest at the back of the neck is a bit unusual - it seems to be a combination of the ivy crest and gentian. The purple color is quite striking!

We do offer hanging rods for displaying kimono - add one from the tab below if desired. If you'd like to wear this kimono with a traditional obi, browse our Obi For Sale page; or for a more casual look, add a Simple Sash at check out.

See video below for how to put on a kimono.

The Fuller Collection – originally over 2000 kimono – was the passion and pride of Richard Fuller of Chicago, IL and Wabasha,MN. Richard served as a US Marine in post-war Japan, and there began his love of and appreciation for vintage Japanese kimono – especially wedding kimono. Richard saw that the mastery and artisanship of traditional Japanese textile techniques was waning – threatening to die out altogether – which sparked his mission to promote this industry and preserve what he could. Click here to read one of his interviews.

Together with his wife Janith, Richard invested in thousands of kimono and obi, opening Wind Whisper West, a kimono gallery in Wabasha, MN in 2003. Most of the collection was sold there, but several hundred pieces remain. Richard passed in 2020, and Janith has consigned the remainder of the collection to Kyoto Kimono to offer through our website. We are honored and proud to be stewarding the Fuller Collection as each piece finds its new home and continues to bring wonder and beauty to admirers around the world.