6058: 1950s Japanese Meisen Silk Kimono Fabric, 57in.(Arai Hari)

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

Width: 14 inches / 35.56 cm
Length: 57 inches / 144.78 cm

Catalog# 6058:

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: Lightweight Meisen silk, very slightly translucent; no sheen; same on both sides; background is black with checkerboard-like grid composed of 1/4 inch (6.35 mm) squares in symmetrical rows; squares are in red and white.

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.