Description
This is an extraordinarily rare, hand woven and hand painted young boy’s Semiformal Summer Kimono. It obviously belonged to a young man of high social standing, as the unusual blue coloring, intricate weaving of the natural bast fibre, and hand painting are exquisite in their detailing. The dramatic rendition of Crane (“Tsuru”), flying among the magnificent Pine (“Matsu”) was created through the most famous of the “Rice Paste Resist” techniques of painting: Yuzen. The striking difference in the Yuzen technique results in a distinguishing, thin white outline around each element in the design. This is an astonishingly difficult, time consuming, and labor-intensive artistic process that took months to accomplish
This particular Kimono cleverly incorporates into its main design the auspicious Crane flying among magnificent Pine, the sign for longevity. As the Crane has also been associated with long life (legend has it that the Crane took 1000 years to fly to the Sun), the reinforced message of the parents for their son is obvious. Additionally, the Crane is linked with good fortune and is, thus, one of the most propitious Japanese symbols. Long life and good fortune are reinforced by the use of unusual shades of blue used in this Kimono. The Indigo of Japan was more widely used than any other color, largely because it evoked a sense of freshness and coolness so welcome in the summer months. This particular shade of blue, however, is most unusual and rare.
The Family Crest is that of the Crane, indicating that the design of the Kimono was chosen to further emphasize the family’s heraldic background. The use of 3 of the family’s Crest (“Mon”), the symbolic designs appearing within the 3 white circles in the center back and on the sleeves, indicate that this was a Kimono intended to be worn for semi- formal occasions. The wealth and nobility of the young Boy for whom this Kimono was intended is difficult to comprehend, when one takes into account the amount of artistic skill and labor that it took to create such an exquisite garment intended to be worn in the home for only 3 months of the year: June, July and August.
A Certificate of Authenticity is included.
TTAC will personally pack and ship via UPS at company expense within the continental U.S.
