This listing is for a vintage Japanese kimono created with meisen (ikat) woven silk.

This is a summer kimono (unlined, silk, light weight) in a soft gray with overlapping, angled lines in desert colors. There is a soft yellow floral floating among the lines, which may represent grasses.

There are a few areas where the black silk thread does not align where it should in the pattern, and we wonder if that is why it might never have been worn. See an example of this in the 2nd-to-last photo. We actually love this aspect of the kimono since it adds the fallible human touch.

There are two small blemishes (see last photo) that are not very noticeable when the kimono is worn and would not be seen at all if displayed from the back.

If you're going to wear this kimono and need a simple sash, click that option above. 

If you're going to display this kimono and need a sturdy but simple hanging rod, click that option below. (The rod must be shipped separately.)

The traditional dyeing and weaving technique used to create this patterning is called meisen or ikat, and it involves dyeing the threads in a pattern before they are woven so that the images emerge on the loom. It's a fascinating and time-consuming process that takes great skill from many artisans. Watch the video below to be amazed.

Meisen kimono became popular in Japan in the Taisho Period of the early 1900s, after the sumptuary laws of the feudal period ended and "common folk" were once again able to wear colorful clothing. Even though the ikat process is time consuming and requires many steps and skill, meisen kimono were an affordable option for Japanese women who were looking to be fashionable. Art nouveau and art deco designs were popular, along with more traditional florals and geometrics that became exaggerated or expanded.

Here's a link to the Friis Collection website, which offers more detail about how meisen became popular in Japan as well as a gallery of her stunning meisen collection. And here's a link to the Chichibu Meisen Museum outside of Tokyo, where the process and the garments are celebrated.
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