This listing is for an antique Japanese wedding kimono (uchikake) from The Fuller Collection. See below for details on the provenance of this beautiful garment.

This item is a new experience for us. In over 25 years of working with kimono, we've never seen an appliqued kimono, much less an antique one. But we are reassured by our academic friend that this was a technique used in the Meiji Period, perhaps on less-imperial versions of uchikake than we typically see. (She suggested that where the top fabric is missing that perhaps a mouse had nibbled at the rice-based adhesive!)

The green satin silk is associated with the Meiji Period (late 1800s to early 1900s), which would typically see some sort of deterioration, but this silk is entact. The green color is also unusual (often these kimono are black), but quite striking.

The symbols of the design suggest a buddhist devotee - one of the orange elements is perhaps "the hand of Buddha". The darker element could be "marvelous fungus" associated with immortality. The orange fruit is likely a persimmon.

There are also a series of white stitching that appears in seemingly random places - not attaching or reinforcing anything. We have no idea why.

The five embroidered family crests, however, are very elaborately and masterfully done, with all couching entact. A wonderful collector's piece!

Very good condition, silk, but slightly smaller than more contemporary versions. We offer sturdy wooden rods for hanging these dazzling displays - see options above.

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.