Vintage & Antique Japanese Fabrics by Piece: Other Type Fabrics

5916: 1950's Japanese Meisen Silk Kimono Fabric, 56in.(Arai Hari)

5916: 1950s Meisen silk kimono fabric, full length

When purchasing this at the sale price
we require that your total order be minimum US$15.00

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Vintage Japanese Textiles:
1950's Arai Hari Used
Meisen Silk Fabric Piece

Width: 14.75 inches / 37.57 cm
Length: 56 inches / 142.24 cm

Catalog# 5916:

List Price: US$15.00 per piece

USA Shipping included under 4 pounds package weight

Fabric History/Pedigree: 1950's meisen 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 Type: Very Lightweight Meisen silk; slightly translucent, smooth to touch but no sheen; same on both sides; Fabric is a dark burgundy-brown background with "Z"-shaped geometric figures three across, and 6 columns created by horizontal pinstripes evenly spaced which run lengthwise; Design and line colors are light copper and dull silver. some black in the background and pinstripes in mustard and dark greens.(see close-ups); More info on meisen is here.

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*:

"...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 is no longer on the internet.] more info on meisen is here.