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- Kimono catalogue entries:
Japanese for frequently used terms: yuzen - paste-resist dyeing shibori - tie-dyeing chirimen - silk crepe ro - silk gauze
surihaku - gold or silver leaf or powder decoration mon - crest
rinzue - damask-like figured silk satin koma-nui - couching
Photograph Notes
Black and White Images
3/.haori, paste-resist dyeing; silk gauze
The haori is a jacket that was worn in the Edo period (1615-1868) by men, but around 1900 the most stylish and chic (iki) women, geishas especially, began to wear haori. The haori was originally worn in winter, but it came to be worn in summer. The thin silk gauze of this haori indicates that it was worn in the summer. The autumn motifs are typical, however; summer haori should have a touch of autumn to suggest coolness. A haori is made of two layers of silk gauze, with the decorative motifs on the inner layer, only seen clearly when the haori is opened, but those motifs can be faintly glimpsed from the outside - a very subtle and elegant effect. This navy haori is decorated with Chinese bell flowers [kikyo) on a lattice
49.homongi, with flowers and vine leaves paste-resist dyeing; silk crepe
This is a less formal style, without the crests, that would have been worn for parties and banquets. It is unlined, indicating that it is summer wear. The blue flowers and leaves may be those of the paulonia.
50 furisode with abstracted grape vine pattern paste-resist dyeing; gold stencilling; silk crepe
The furisode, with its long sleeves, is meant to be worn by a young woman, and the bold pattern and bright colours are also appropriate to a young, unmarried woman. These rules were not followed by geisha however, and even after she left the geisha profession to become a recording artist, Ichimaru followed geisha style. Photographs show Ichimaru wearing this kimono when she performed in Hawaii in 1950, when she would have been in her 40s. The kimono may have been made for that performance since it is from poor quality silk crepe and appears to have been made cheaply and quickly. At that time, Japanese textile and kimono manufacturers, like most businesses, had not yet recovered from World War II.
51. homongi with flutes
paste-resist dyeing; silk crepe
This is a lined (awase) winter kimono, although the winter season for wearing lined kimonos actually lasts from September through May or June. The flute was one of the classical Japanese instruments played by geisha but Ichimaru�s instrument was the shamisen.
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