Obi
Japanese
Description
Copies and Invention in East Asia (August 17, 2019 - January 5, 2020)
Kasen-e were also adopted in fashion. These two obi (the sash used to tie a kimono) are adorned with fan-shaped pieces of woven fabric. One has a poem written in ink, and the other has a hand-drawn portrait of a female poet dressed in the attire of Heian court ladies (called jūni hitoe or “twelve layers”). The obi were owned by two sisters, whose mother commissioned one for each of her five daughters.
Subject Matter:
This is a Nagoya obi in otaiko gara.
Nagoya obi were first produced at the end of the Taisho era, and are shorter than the more formal fukuro and maru obi. A portion of Nagoya obi fabric is folded and stitched in half to make tying easier.Gara refers to the orientation, arrangement, and surface area of the patterns and pertains to a specific trend and obi tying style. The patterning in the Otaiko gara type is minimal. A few concentrated spots of patterned motif lie on the obi while the rest is left blank. This style was invented during the Edo period (1615-1868) by the female entertainers in Fukugawa, an entertainment district in present-day Tokyo.
Physical Description:
gold-speckled pale green and cream colored Nagoya Obi with interwoven clouds with patched, gold-embroidered, and orange Oogi (fan) motif depicting a female figure wearing a red and blue kimono and holding a folding fan. There are illegible kanji written on one of the fans.
Usage Rights:
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