An Open Letter To The British Museum
So, remember a few weeks ago when I was sick and asked people to pick what feature would be next? Well, “Examining a famous kimono collection” was the winner by a long shot! This is the result of that choice, so I hope that you’re all interested in what that choice has actually brought to fruition!
Recently a friend linked me to an unrelated exhibit being held at The British Museum, so while I was on their website I decided to do some slight digging into their archives to see what kind of kimono that they had. They don’t have as many as other museums, but they do have some nice pieces regardless. However, the vast majority of their pieces are labeled with either incorrect dates, incorrect motifs, or even incorrect types. So, I chose a handful of them that stood out and did a bit of an analysis on each outlining what’s wrong, what’s right, and what information is missing. You can click on the piece’s classification number to be taken to its page on their website, which is also where the images for the pieces were taken from. This entire feature was sent as an email to the museum, so it wasn’t just done to toot my own horn. Anyway, enjoy ^^
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Re: Collections Database Department
My name is Justine and I have been collecting and selling kimono for just over 14 years at the time of writing. I do have a forthcoming manuscript completed that will hopefully be published in 2019 about kimono, so I figured that it was time for someone to take a look at your collection. From what I can grasp just by skimming over titles and descriptions is that you have no idea what you actually have in your vaults. For starters, the vast majority of their labels are outright wrong, from the dates to the materials, which you’d think would be easy to identify yet it’s painfully clear that you’ve never had someone on staff to do said work. Normally I wouldn’t blame you for this as most museums outside of Japan don’t have anyone they can bring in to confirm anything about kimono. However, you’re one of the largest museums in the world, therefore, you really have no excuse when it comes to cataloguing and properly identifying what you have. With that said, placing the blame won’t get us anywhere, so instead of criticizing your lack of identification I’d like to help you along as some of your pieces are true treasures whose value is quite substantial. These are just a few of the pieces that I’d like to bring to your attention as it’s practically criminal for them to be thrown into the vaults under false tags with zero thought or appreciation given to them.
Your Date: Early 20th Century
My Date: Late 19th Century
Let’s start with an easy one to break the ice here. Not too much is wrong with this one, but the date and its reasoning actually bleed into a few other pieces. There’s two main things to look at here that determine its age: the placement of patterns and the size of the kamon (family crests). As this is a kimono for a woman we know that kamon size shrunk significantly in the early 20th century to allow for the change of placements following the introduction of Western style chairs into Japanese society. Since the kamon are still extremely large compared to their contemporary counterparts that automatically places it as being made before 1910. Looking at the patterns, we can narrow that date down even more, likely somewhere around 1870 and 1890. This is evident by the small and repeated size of the patterns, which in this case consist of genji mon, pine, bamboo leaves, and plum blossoms. Genji Mon (源氏紋) are symbols used in an antiquated game called Genji Kō (源氏香) where people would smell pieces of incense and try to determine which, if any, were the same ones. Five sticks would be used for each round of the game and those that were thought to be the same were connected by a horizontal line. This game was said to be popular during the Heian Period (789-1104), which is when The Tale of Genji was written, and have become synonymous with the novel.
The pine trees, bamboo leaves, which were omitted from the original listing, and plum blossoms tell us that this piece was worn by a bride from a wealthy family on her wedding day. Pine trees, bamboo leaves, and plum blossoms are a sacred trio of plants known as The Three Friends of Winter (Shōchikubai - 松竹梅) as they are reminders that winter will pass and that spring will come soon. Pine trees are a very obvious motif as they share the same meaning in the East as they do in the West; they are evergreens that provide us with color during the cold winter nights. Bamboo leaves are symbols of growth as bamboo is an extremely fast growing plant and new bamboo shoots are a delicacy eaten in the winter when they first pop out of the ground. Plum blossoms are the first flowers to bloom in the new year, often while snow is still on the ground, so they bring with them the promise of warm weather and prosperity. This trio of plants is extremely common on wedding attire to this day. This trio, combined with the genji mon, tell us that the woman who wore this was well educated and well off as only the rich could afford to sit around and play genji kō. Under normal circumstances a woman would cut the sleeves of her furisode once she was married and wear this as a tomesode to formal gatherings. That the sleeves were not cut show us that her family was so well off that her bridal trousseau included a tomesode so that she did not have to alter this piece. With so much wealth this would have been kept as a family heirloom to pass on to the family’s daughter to use or possibly even a daughter-in-law.
This piece probably made me shake my head almost as much as the last entry on this list, and that’s saying something. Now, I can understand that somehow people can’t tell one simple motif from another, but what shocked me the most was that you apparently linked back to a source that identified this for you? I have to wonder what Smith and Harris actually specialized in when it came to Japanese items, because I have to bring their credibility into doubt. Not only are the motifs wrong, but its seasonality and materials are even wrong. So, maybe Smith and Harris can get a bit of a pass if all that they saw of this piece was a blurred image the size of a Polaroid, but otherwise their classification is almost criminal.
The motifs are very easy to identify, even with such an old image. We can clearly see bamboo, chrysanthemums, and cranes. Along the bottom edge we can even see paired cranes walking along the grasses, bush clover, and the fence and gates of a garden. Now, while your very vague description says, “birds, bamboo and flowers,” which is technically correct, it is the small details that throw out the notion of this being a summer kimono. It’s quite easy to see that most of the bamboo branches are covered in snow, which is most definitely not a summer motif! During the Edo Period (1603-1868) kimono were very much expected to follow the traditional 72 micro seasons. Snow during summer would be the ultimate faux pas, but it is the singular summer motif at the bottom that gives this piece meaning. Bush clover, one of The Seven Friends of Autumn (Aki No Nanakusa - 秋の七草), is often found in pieces worn during the summer and early autumn, so it does seem odd on a kimono with snow. However, you’ll notice that the snow is all above the hem where the snow topped bamboo and chrysanthemums are, along with the singular cranes. The snow with the single cranes is a sign of the coldness of winter, but the paired cranes at the bottom with the bush clover show us the warmth that will eventually come. This piece would have been perfect to wear during the traditional Asian new year as it represents a border between the cold winter and the warm summer. Looking at the sleeves, we can also tell that this piece was once a furisode whose sleeves were cut upon marriage due to the motifs being abruptly severed. The fabric is also not the sheer or special woven kind used in summer kimono, so even without motifs we can see that this was not made to be worn during the summer. The date is correct for the most part, so Smith and Harris did get something right.
Your Date: 1930s
My Date: 1860 - 1890
Putting the pictures side by side it’s easy to see how the first example closely mirrors this example when it comes to kamon size, pattern placement, and motifs. Instead of a full set of shōchikubai we instead simply have cranes among pine trees. Pines are a symbol of strength and endurance while cranes mate for life and are also symbols of longevity. Since these motifs are together it’s safe to say that this piece was worn for a wedding as well. The padded hem makes it even more obvious that this is no mere kosode, but rather a stylish uchikake; these were worn by the rich to weddings and always have thick, padded hems. Outside of a wedding a woman could use this piece during the new year. The lack of motifs above the chest tell us that this was made at the same time as the first example as kimono motif placement became very scarce after the country opened up to foreigners in the late 1860s. This would only change once the economy began to boom just after 1890. Since the motifs are painted and not heavily embroidered then the person who originally owned this likely came from a more middle class family than the one who owned the first example. It was still expensive to produce, but a bit more manageable for the average city folk to save up for when their daughter got married. The very large kamon, which didn’t see a size change until around 1910, tell us that it was made prior to the turn of the century.
Your Date: 1850 - 1900
My Date: 1810 - 1830
As the second most misunderstood piece it’s no wonder it was left as the second last. This is a fabulous kosode, once a furisode, from the early 19th century and is a contemporary of the second example. This one had a far greater production value as seen in the intricate patterns and additional embroidery. These examples that show white motifs with a few coloured in is known as Goshodoki (御所解); translated roughly as “Views of The Nobility” they were extremely popular during the early 19th century with the highest of nobles. Each piece references a literary classic, with most referencing The Tale of Genji. Like its contemporaries, this piece does reference Genji in its addition of palanquins, zigzag bridges, and thatched gates, along with wisteria growing on pine trees and the two official flowers of Japan: cherry blossoms and chrysanthemums. Since it shows so many varied motifs it could have been worn at almost any time from October to May, which are the non-summer or all season months. It is a stunning work of art, but its previous owners didn’t seem to see it that way. You’ve stated that snaps were added on the inside of the collar along with a loop at the waist. This shows that it was slightly converted to be used as a bathrobe, which wasn’t all too uncommon at the end of the 19th century in Europe. However, as it is a museum’s job to preserve its pieces then why not convert it back to its true state and erase its “exotic oriental” past? It is an excellent example of high class fashion. Your notes have stated that you’ve put it on display multiple times, but why has it never gotten the care that it so thoroughly deserves? Due to its condition it doesn’t really need any fixing or preservation work, but it does deserve the most information as possible about it.
Your Date: Taisho Period (1912-1926)
My Date: Same
And now we arrive at the most shocking and disappointing piece in the entire collection. Its rarity out ranks all of the others, even though it is the youngest. It is a stunning kimono that breaks all conventions as it’s a special sub-type known as a Hikizuri (引き摺り), which are kimono worn by performers that are meant to trail along the ground. The description states that it may have been worn by a maiko, which is true, but an extreme understatement. The kamon on this piece shows a stylized five point bell flower, which was only used by a single Okiya (置屋 - Geisha House) in the entire country. It also happens to be one of the most famous okiya of all time: the Iwasaki (岩崎) of Gion Kobu (祇園甲部) in Kyoto. This is the house that the famous Mineko Iwasaki grew up in and inherited. The entire piece is adorned with the highest calibre of yuzen art that Kyoto is known for and must have cost an absolute fortune when it was commissioned. The main motifs are fans that are filled with a variety of poetic motifs, such as bamboo leaves, a maiko painted in a wood block style, and plants that even extend out of the fans themselves. Since the patterns are only on the ends of the sleeves and below the waist on the hem we can tell that it was worn by a senior maiko, usually one with 2½+ years of experience, on formal occasions, such as New Year’s greetings.
However, this piece has been badly abused over the years, so much so that whoever examined it didn’t even know that the base fabric colour was originally black! This fading of dye is what can give us an accurate date of its conception as the Taisho Period was a time of experimenting with dyes, with positive effects on almost every colour except for black. There isn’t a great consensus as to what caused the fading, but almost every piece, from low end to high end examples, were affected. Within a few decades the black had already begun to fade, even for those kept in storage, and almost all examples that have survived have begun to turn brown. That the browning is so extensive means that someone likely bought this and hung it up on a wall where it was exposed to great amounts of sunlight. There are professionals who specialize in kimono restoration in Japan could fix this piece up and bring it back to its original glory, which seems like a worthwhile investment for such a rare and valuable piece.
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At the time of publishing I have only received a cursory reply email stating that it would be passed on to the correct departments for review.
So, which piece surprised you the most? Or, which did you find the most interesting? Let me know what you think ^^
