Vintage & Antique Japanese Fabrics by Piece: Other Type Fabrics
5619: 1950's Japanese Meisen Silk Fabric, 14 x 59 Inches from Arai-Hari

Vintage Japanese Textiles:
1950s Meisen Silk Fabric Piece
Width: 14 inches / 35.56 cm
Length: 59 inches / 149.86 cm
Catalog# 5619:
US$15.00 per piece
USA Shipping included under 4 pounds package weight

Fabric History/Pedigree: 1950s meisen silk; 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. This is a 1940's-1950's piece;
Meisen is defined literally as 'common silk stuff'; and has grown in popularity in the last few years; it is a kasuri (ikat) type weave fabric with usually larger bold patterns and bright colors. See close-ups.
Fabric Type: Light weight Meisen silk; little sheen; same on both sides; Designs are of many different geometric shapes throughout in charcoal color lines, with large stylized flowers, the largest flowers are 5 inches by 6 inches (12.7 cm x 15.24 cm).
Colors: Background is dark mustard color with dark red, green and lavender grays used in the flower figures which rest on white backgrounds.
Colors: Background is dark mustard color with dark red, green and lavender grays used in the flower figures which rest on white backgrounds.
Condition: Excellent.
Cultural Notes: The best discussion we've found of Meisen silk fabric was on an old blog post by Japundit, excerpted here, from the early 2000's*:
[*original article is no longer on the internet.] more info on meisen is here.
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