Hōmongi — silk, Mitsukoshi
Court Fans
Only one in stock
Each kimono is bought one at a time in Japan; we will not have another. These are authentic Japanese kimono, worn and kept before they came this far. The marks of time — the patina, the light wear — are part of the piece.
Description
On an ivory ground, jigami — fan papers, lifted off their frames — float as though falling. Inside each one, a scene: chrysanthemums, irises, a garden.
The motif has a name, goshodoki, literally "untied from the palace". It comes from the dress of court women in the Edo period, and it follows a rule: no human face is ever shown. You are shown the garden, the pavilion, the ox-carriage — and you understand that someone has just left. It is the set of a story whose characters are absent.
Some of the fans are worked in shibori: the silk was hand-tied, point by point, before dyeing, which leaves a surface of small raised grains you can feel under the fingers.
This piece carries the mark of Mitsukoshi, Japan's oldest department store, founded in 1673. A kimono that passed through that house was chosen by its buyers before it was ever sold.
Details
- Length (shoulder to hem)
- 160 cm / 63.0"
- Sleeve span (cuff to cuff)
- 128 cm / 50.4"
- Yuki (centre back to cuff)
- 64 cm / 25.2"
- Sleeve length
- 48.5 cm / 19.1"
- Front / back panel width
- 24 cm / 31 cm
- Fits approximately
- 155 – 165 cm tall, hips up to 90 cm
- Material
- 100 % silk
- Technique
- Goshodoki pattern composed before cutting, hand-tied shibori reserves
- Provenance
- Sold by the Mitsukoshi department store
Shipping
Sent from France, carefully folded and wrapped in Japanese paper. Times and rates are set out in the terms of sale. Returns accepted within fourteen days, except for pieces altered to measure.
Care
Dry clean only, with a specialist in antique textiles. The shibori areas are hand-tied: never press them, the raised texture would not come back. Store folded in paper.