A beautiful, Japanese tomesode kimono with a sekitei (rock garden) seen through kumodori (a break in the clouds) scene around the bottom. Rock scenes, either as rock gardens or rocky countryside, are considered peaceful, contemplative scenes
The raised, gold and silver edging on parts of the design is called shusu: gold threads are made of foil applied to thin membrane or paper strips which are wrapped around silk threads. These metallic threads cannot be stitched through the silk fabrics, as they are quite thick, so they are traditionally "couched", which means laid on the fabric surface and stitched down with fine silk threads
It has most unusual, rare mon (crests) on the sleeves and centre back, they are Japanese red crowned crane. These birds denote loyalty, they mate for life and the pairs actually dance with each other daily. They are also a symbol of longevity
Awase (fully lined) kimono. There is quite a bit of foxing on the upper lining. Foxing is a patina that is often seen on vintage and antique silks, especially those stored in a hot and humid climate like the Japanese summer, it does not weaken the fabric, just produces brownish speckles.
A fairly heavy kimono, not far off 2 kilos of silk
Made in and bought from Japan
May have white shitsuke (basting stitches) around some edges, on the outside of the garment. These are simply to keep it neat during storage and just get pulled out before use
Made in and bought from Japan
**If shown with a sash, the sash is not included; for display purposes only, to let you see it closed, however, all kimono require an obi or some sort of sash to hold them closed; these are always bought separately. Think of it like a skirt and blouse, you can't wear either on its own, you buy them separately and mix and match

Condition:
Excellent - lining has foxing, see details in description above.

Measurements:
Sleeve end to sleeve end 126cm
Sleeve seam to sleeve seam approx 62cm
Length 150cm
 
 
 
wk71 - 08/4