Vintage Japanese Kimono Fabrics by Pieces: Japanese Textile Silk Fabric Swatches

7317-1:1930-50s Japanese Meisen Silk 56 in. Piece (AraiHari)

73171: 1950s Japan Meisen Silk, long view

Catalog# 7317-1

1930s-1950s Japanese Textiles:

From Arai-Hari Cleaners
Japanese Kimono Meisen Silk Fabric Piece

Width: 14 inches / 35.56 cm
Length: 56 inches / 142.24 cm

US$18.00 per piece

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Item Details and Description

Fabric History/Pedigree: 1950s or earlier silk fabric pieces received from traditional Japanese kimono cleaner/reconstructor called Arai-Hari -- see an excellent explanation of traditional Arai Hari by textile expert John Marshall, by click-pushing HERE.
Fabric Description: Meisen silk, lightweight, slightly translucent, and slightly softer than most we see from this period; the background color is black with vertical bands in parallel, .5 inch/12.7mm wide; bands are soft-white, light salmon-pink on black background; also ther are irregular lines ( .25 inch/6.35mm thick) that meander in perpendicular angles; also there are small mustard spots randomly placed; (all lines etc are fuzzy-edged, evocative of kasuri), This piece same on both sides; no sheen.

Colors: Please NOTE that colors and contrast differ on each device, so please use our text descriptions to complement your sense of the fabric.
Condition: Excellent.
Recommended for making scarf/accessories.

Background Information on Meisen Kimonos:

Meisen is defined literally in our Kenkyuusha dictionary as "...common silk stuff"; meisen fabrics (or garments made from them) are currently called 'meisen'; Meisen kimono were made similarly to Kasuri (ikat), though meisen usually have very colorful patterns with distinct -- often more modern -- motifs and a slight sheen; 1950s meisen have intentionally fuzzy, almost Impressionistic look and often larger designs; Kasuri/ikat, of course, is mostly indigo blue and some white with black. To learn more about kasuri click here.

To see pictures of meisen silk vintage kimonos from Google, touch HERE.

Other Cultural Notes: The best discussion we've found of Meisen silk fabric was on an old blog post by Japundit, excerpted here*:

"...Young women have rediscovered(Japan Times) the kimono, and you can see them out in Harajuku on the Sunday fashion parade. There's even a term for these girls -- not surprisingly they are called "kimono girls." There are even some nice books documenting the trend which you can check out at J-List and are definitely worth having if you are at all into fashion.

"The meisen kimono in particular has become very popular. These kimono were made in the first half of the twentieth century, and were characterized by a glossy sheen, and brilliant patterns. There is often a sort of blurry quality to the silks...."

[*original article has been pulled]

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