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Summer
kimono (katabira)
Japan, Honshu, Niigata Prefecture, Echigo
First half of the 20th century
The
cherry blossoms, bamboo leaves, and other designs on
this katabira (hemp garment for summer wear)
were created by resist-dyeing the yarns before weaving.
This technique, called kasuri, is strongly associated
with rural populations in Japan. For this katabira,
the weft yarns were stretched and pressed tightly between
wooden boards carved with mirror images of the design
in relief. After stretching the yarns on the boards,
the boards were clamped together and the whole immersed
in an indigo dye vat. The dye penetrated the indented
sections of the boards, but was resisted in the raised
sections, leaving white patterns on a dark blue ground.
Japanese
children's kimono often were made with tucks along the
shoulders and around the waist. These tucks were let
out periodically to widen and lengthen the garment to
fit the growing child. The tucks have been let out of
this katabira, indicating that it probably was
worn by an adolescent girl.
Warp:
hemp or ramie (asa). Weft: hemp or ramie (asa)
Plain
weave, weft-resist dyed (weft ikat)
The Textile Museum 1963.15.5, Museum purchase
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