{"id":799,"date":"2010-11-22T14:00:41","date_gmt":"2010-11-22T19:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/moonblossom.net\/blog\/?p=799"},"modified":"2012-04-22T14:18:01","modified_gmt":"2012-04-22T18:18:01","slug":"its-not-enough-we-have-to-go-deeper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moonblossom.net\/blog\/2010\/11\/its-not-enough-we-have-to-go-deeper\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s not enough. We have to go deeper."},"content":{"rendered":"

Why yes, that was indeed a reference to Inception<\/a> as today’s subject line. Not only is it one of my favourite movies of the year (and possibly of all time), it is entirely relevant to the kimono I received this morning. If you’re familiar with Inception, the concept of a “dream within a dream” will be very familiar to you. So imagine someone like me, who dreams of kimono regularly, finding “kimono within kimono.”<\/p>\n

When I first saw it on eBay<\/a> I was completely smitten. It is a kurotomesode (short sleeved, five-crested black formal kimono), which is definitely something I don’t need more of. However, rather than the relatively typical celebratory designs of cranes, flowers, carts, fans, etc, the pattern on this kimono is… kimono<\/em>! All around the inside and outside hem of this kimono are wooden racks with kimono out to dry, as well as bowls and tools for washing. I’ve never seen anything like it, and I knew I had to have it. It ended up going for a bit more than I’d hoped to spend, but was still well worth the investment.<\/p>\n

Both the age and the usage of this kimono are a bit of a mystery. The design is very avante-garde and non-standard for a normal woman, and the hem is slightly padded, which weigh in the favour of it being a hikizuri of some sort. The length of the kimono is also longer than average for its apparent age, but not quite long enough to be proper hikizuri. It may have been made for a particularly short geisha, or possibly just a very stylish woman. It’s hard to say. The sleeves are lined in red, which is a typical element of Taisho and early Showa era kimono, but they are slightly shorter than average for that era. The body is also lined in white, not red, but that may have been replaced at some point during its lifespan.<\/p>\n

Update, April 22, 2012 – Naomi<\/a> recently discovered the existence of a motif known as tagasode, <\/em>or “whose sleeves?”<\/p>\n

Literally, “whose sleeves?.” Painting theme depicting beautiful\u00a0kimono<\/em>\u00a0\u7740\u7269 draped across a wooden rack,\u00a0ikou<\/em>\u00a0\u4f9d\u6841. The subject was usually painted on folding screens *byoubu<\/a><\/em>\u00a0\u5c4f\u98a8 and became popular in the late Momoyama and early Edo periods (16c and early 17c). Although the subject is highly decorative, the word\u00a0tagasode<\/em>\u00a0has deep literary connotations and probably originated from a line in\u00a0KOKIN WAKASHUU<\/em>\u00a0\u53e4\u4eca\u548c\u6b4c\u96c6 (905):\u00a0“Iro yorimo\/ka koso aware to \/omohoyure\/tagasode fureshi\/yado no ume zomo\u00a0<\/em>\u8272\u3088\u308a\u3082\/\u9999\u3053\u305d\u3042\u306f\u308c\u3068\/\u304a\u3082\u307b\u3086\u308c\/\u8ab0\u304c\u8896\u3075\u308c\u3057\/\u5bbf\u306e\u6885\u305e\u3082”.\u00a0Tagasode<\/em>\u00a0often implies a beautiful woman whose absence is missed, since beautiful sleeves are thought to evoke the image of an elegant woman and the fragrance arising from her\u00a0kimono<\/em>.
\nIn early examples, typical objects belonging to a room in the pleasure quarters or even a beautiful woman herself were depicted; a screen in the Burke Collection, New York (early 17c), includes a musical instrument,\u00a0koto<\/em>\u00a0\u7434, while two young women are painted on early 17c screens in the Nezu \u6839\u6d25 Museum, Tokyo. Variations on the\u00a0tagasode<\/em>\u00a0theme became more removed from literary associations, and finally the\u00a0kimono<\/em>\u00a0and stand remains as the only motifs depicted against gold foil background. There are many examples from the Edo period, often by unknown genre artists.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

source – JAANUS, tagasode<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Outside view<\/strong>
\n\"Meta-Kimono\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Inside view<\/strong>
\n\"Meta-Kimono\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Outer details<\/strong>
\n\"Meta-Kimono\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Meta-Kimono\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Meta-Kimono\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Inner details<\/strong>
\n\"Meta-Kimono\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Meta-Kimono\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It’s absolutely beautiful up close – everything is covered in tiny and delicate patterns, from the kimono to the racks holding them up. The kimono are all outlined in gold couching thread which is in impeccable condition, no drooping or detached threads anywhere that I can find.<\/p>\n

I seem to have a knack for finding kimono that are technically kurotomesode but have characteristics that may throw them off. My chidori and matsu hybrid kimono<\/a> is another prime example. As for this piece, it may be an oddity, and I may not know who wore it or when, but I love it nonetheless.<\/p>\n

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