This listing is for a vintage Japanese kimono created with meisen (ikat) woven silk.

This kimono keeps us guessing. The abstract imagery could include stylized people, chess pieces, mushrooms, trees, arrows and/or....? It was part of the meisen "movement" to use bright colors and abstracted motifs to create dazzling, eye-catching designs, and this one surely does.

Red, green and yellow dance with black over the white silk background. Look closely to see the shadowing that creates a 3D effect on each element. Aside from the hardly-noticeable spot shown in the last photo and some mottling on the lining, this kimono is in excellent condition for wearing or display.

If you're going to wear this kimono and need a simple sash, click that option above. 

If you're going to display this kimono and need a sturdy but simple hanging rod, click that option below. (The rod must be shipped separately.)

The traditional dyeing and weaving technique used to create this patterning is called meisen or ikat, and it involves dyeing the threads in a pattern before they are woven so that the images emerge on the loom. It's a fascinating and time-consuming process that takes great skill from many artisans. Watch the video below to be amazed.

Meisen kimono became popular in Japan in the Taisho Period of the early 1900s, after the sumptuary laws of the feudal period ended and "common folk" were once again able to wear colorful clothing. Even though the ikat process is time consuming and requires many steps and skill, meisen kimono were an affordable option for Japanese women who were looking to be fashionable. Art nouveau and art deco designs were popular, along with more traditional florals and geometrics that became exaggerated or expanded.

Here's a link to the Friis Collection website, which offers more detail about how meisen became popular in Japan as well as a gallery of her stunning meisen collection. And here's a link to the Chichibu Meisen Museum outside of Tokyo, where the process and the garments are celebrated.
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