8132:1930-50s Japanese Meisen Cotton 56in.Pc Deadstock, Geometric Horizontal Bands, Swallows

8132: 1950s Cotton Meisen full 56 inches view of a patterned textile featuring a burgundy-red base with pink abstract wave motifs, white bands, and green geometric medallion accents with gold wavy lines.

1930s-1950s Japanese Textiles:

Deadstock Japanese Kimono Meisen (Ikat) Cotton Fabric Piece
Fabric has a Kasuri Look & Feel to it

Catalog #: 8132

Width: 13.5 inches / 34.29 cm
Length: 56 inches / 142.24 cm

US$18.00 per piece plus shipping

Item Details and Description

Fabric History/Pedigree: 1950s or earlier cotton ikat Meisen-type weave fabric pieces from a deadstock roll found with other similar old fabrics.

Fabric Description: burgundy-red color background Meisen cotton, alternating horizontal bands (depth of 3 to 4 inches / 7.62cm to 10.16cm), light-medium weight with some translucence; the other horizontal bands are in a mix of white-lavender-pink, or black with concentric green rectangles nested; Other design features: Large stylized swallows in flight, as well as brown and rust color waves as foreground to pinstripes; Typical of the meisen of this period, this design has intentionally fuzzy edges to all figures, same on both sides; minimal sheen; less stiff than many other 1930s Meisen silks we see.
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 scarves/accessories.

Background Information on Meisen Kimonos:

Meisen is defined literally in our Kenkyuusha dictionary as "...common stuff"; meisen fabrics (or garments made from them) are currently called 'meisen, usually silk, but cotton ikat weaves -- like this one -- also show up from time to time;' 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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