kimono

WOO FAMILY FOUNDATION INC.

KIMONO

JAPANESE, JACQUARD ANTIQUE KIMONO

JAPAN HAS A VERY RICH TEXTILE HISTORY, WITH THE KIMONO BEING A MAJOR FOCUS OF INTEREST AND ARTISTIC EXPRESSION. MEANING 'THE THING WORN', THE TERM KIMONO WAS FIRST ADOPTED IN THE MID-19TH CENTURY. ORIGINALLY WORN BY COMMONERS, OR AS AN UNDERGARMENT BY THE ARISTOCRACY, FROM THE 16TH CENTURY KIMONO BECAME THE PRINCIPAL ITEM OF DRESS FOR ALL CLASSES AND BOTH SEXES. IT IS STILL AN ENDURING SYMBOL OF TRADITIONAL JAPANESE CULTURE TODAY.

KIMONO WOO FAMILY FOUNDATION INC.

PROPERTY OF WOO FAMILY FOUNDATION INC.

WOO FAMILY FOUNDATION INC.

KIMONO

JAPANESE, JACQUARD ANTIQUE KIMONO

KIMONO SYMBOLISM NATURAL MOTIFS THE RICHEST SOURCE FOR KIMONO MOTIFS COMES FROM THE NATURAL WORLD. FLOWERS SUCH AS PEONIES, WISTERIA, BUSH CLOVER AND HOLLYHOCKS FREQUENTLY APPEAR ON GARMENTS. MANY OF THEM, FOR EXAMPLE CHERRY BLOSSOM, CHRYSANTHEMUMS AND MAPLE LEAVES, HAVE A SEASONAL SIGNIFICANCE.

POEMS & STORIES

KIMONO

ELEMENTS OF THE NATURAL WORLD THAT APPEAR ON KIMONO USUALLY HAVE STRONG POETIC ASSOCIATIONS, WHILE MORE COMPLEX LANDSCAPE SCENES OFTEN REFER TO PARTICULAR STORIES DRAWN EITHER FROM CLASSICAL LITERATURE OR POPULAR MYTHS. ALTHOUGH SUCH STORIES INVARIABLY INVOLVED PEOPLE, IT IS RELATIVELY UNUSUAL TO FIND HUMAN FIGURES DEPICTED ON KIMONO. INSTEAD THERE ARE OBJECTS WHICH SUGGEST THEIR PRESENCE OR RECENT DEPARTURE, A PAIR OF DROPPED FANS, FOR EXAMPLE, ALLUDING TO LOVERS DISTURBED.

PROPERTY OF WOO FAMILY FOUNDATION INC.

JAPANESE, JACQUARD ANTIQUE KIMONO

KIMONO SYMBOLISM THE IMAGES USED ON KIMONO OFTEN HAVE COMPLEX LEVELS OF MEANING. THE MOST POPULAR BIRD DEPICTED ON KIMONO IS THE CRANE. BELIEVED TO LIVE FOR A THOUSAND YEARS AND TO INHABIT THE LAND OF THE IMMORTALS, IT IS A SYMBOL OF LONGEVITY AND GOOD FORTUNE. COLOURS

KIMONO

ALSO HAVE STRONG METAPHORICAL AND CULTURAL MEANINGS. DYES ARE SEEN TO EMBODY THE SPIRIT OF THE PLANTS FROM WHICH THEY ARE EXTRACTED. ANY MEDICINAL PROPERTY IS ALSO BELIEVED TO BE TRANSFERRED TO THE COLOURED CLOTH. BLUE, FOR EXAMPLE, DERIVES FROM INDIGO (AI), WHICH IS USED TO TREAT BITES AND STINGS, SO WEARING BLUE FABRIC IS THOUGHT TO SERVE AS A REPELLENT TO SNAKES AND INSECTS.

PROPERTY OF WOO FAMILY FOUNDATION INC.

EMBROIDERY JAPANESE ARTISANS HAVE USED EMBROIDERY TO CREATE OPULENT EFFECTS ON KIMONO ESPECIALLY LAVISH WEDDING KIMONO. WITH SILK FLOSS AND VARIATIONS ON THE "LONG AND SHORT STITCH" OR SATIN STITCH, HIRA-NUI, THEY HAVE BUILT UP ENTIRE MOTIFS, AS IN THE FEATHERS BELOW. SOME FORMS HAVE EVEN BECOME THREE-DIMENSIONAL.

EMBRIODERY

FIGURED WEAVES HISTORICALLY DRAW LOOMS AND MORE RECENTLY JACQUARD LOOMS, HAVE BEEN USED TO PRODUCE A VARIETY OF WEAVES WITH STUNNING TONE-ON-TONE PATTERNING. DAMASKS, BROCADES AND TWILLS ARE AMONG THE STRUCTURES EMPLOYED. WHITE WEDDING KIMONO OFTEN EXPLOIT THE POSSIBILITIES OF THESE TECHNIQUES, AND OBI DESIGNS HAVE EMPLOYED AN EVEN WIDER RANGE OF COMPLEX WEAVES. BROCADE DESIGNS HAVE BEEN WOVEN WITH CONTRASTING COLORS OR MATERIALS SUCH AS METALLIC OR LACQUERED THREADS.

JACQUARD

JAPANESE, ANTIQUE EMBROIDERED WEDDING KIMONO

KIMONO PROPERTY OF WOO FAMILY FOUNDATION INC.

KANOKO SHIBORI FABRICS ARE TIE-DYED. MOST OFTEN, AREAS ARE PATTERNED BY TIGHTLY WRAPPING TINY SECTIONS OF THE LIGHT-WEIGHT WHITE SILK WITH THREAD. WHEN THE FABRIC IS DYED, THE WRAPPED AREAS REMAIN WHITE, FORMING A PLEASANT, SLIGHTLY IRREGULAR REPEAT PATTERN OF TINY CIRCLES. AN ENTIRE SURFACE COVERED IN THIS WAY IS CALLED KANOKO SHIBORI.

SHIBORI

EMBRIODERY

SURIHAKU

JACQUARD

SURIHAKU SOMETIMES, ALONG WITH COLORED DYES, GOLD OR SILVER METALLIC FOIL IS APPLIED TO THE FABRIC SURFACE, CREATING LAVISH EFFECTS. RICE PASTE IS FIRST APPLIED TO THE FABRIC IN DESIGN AREAS EITHER DRAWN FREELY , OR STENCILED. THEN METALLIC LEAF IS PRESSED ONTO THE PARTIALLY DRIED RICE PASTE. THE FOIL FALLS AWAY IN SURROUNDING AREAS. IN THE PAST, SURIHAKU DECORATION WAS WIDELY USED ON DRAMATIC NOH THEATRICAL COSTUMES, AND ITS USE CONTINUED ON LAVISH FORMAL KIMONO AND CEREMONIAL UCHIKAKE WEDDING KIMONO.

JAPANESE,ANTIQUE EMBROIDERED WEDDING KIMONO

KIMONO PROPERTY OF WOO FAMILY FOUNDATION INC.

EMBRIODERY

JAPANESE, ANTIQUE EMBROIDERED WEDDING

KIMONO

KIMONO PROPERTY OF WOO FAMILY FOUNDATION INC.

JAPANESE ARTISANS HAVE USED EMBROIDERY TO CREATE OPULENT EFFECTS ON KIMONO -ESPECIALLY LAVISH WEDDING KIMONO. WITH SILK FLOSS AND VARIATIONS ON THE "LONG AND SHORT STITCH" OR SATIN STITCH, HIRA-NUI, THEY HAVE BUILT UP ENTIRE MOTIFS, AS IN THE FEATHERS BELOW. SOME FORMS HAVE EVEN BECOME THREEDIMENSIONAL.

EMBRIODERY SURIHAKU

"SURIHAKU" IS A TECHNIQUE WHERE GLUE IS APPLIED ON THE GROUND BY FREE HAND OR BY USING A TEMPLATE WITH OPENWORK PATTERN, GOLD AND SILVER LEAF IS PASTED ON TOP, AND EXCESSIVE LEAF IS WIPED AWAY WITH A BRUSH OR SIMILAR TO SHOW A PATTERN. IN GENERAL, THIS TECHNIQUE IS USED WHEN REPEATING SIMPLE UNIT PATTERNS.

JAPANESE, ANTIQUE EMBROIDERED WEDDING

KIMONO

KIMONO PROPERTY OF WOO FAMILY FOUNDATION INC.

SHUSU. GOLD AND SILVER THREADS ARE MADE OF FOIL APPLIED TO THIN MEMBRANE OR PAPER STRIPS WHICH ARE WRAPPED AROUND SILK THREADS. THESE METALLIC THREADS CANNOT BE STITCHED THROUGH THE SILK FABRICS, SO THEY ARE TRADITIONALLY "COUCHED": LAID ON THE FABRIC SURFACE AND STITCHED DOWN WITH FINE SILK THREADS. MOTIFS MAY BE OUTLINED WITH GOLD COUCHING OR ENTIRE MOTIFS MAY BE FORMED WITH METALLIC YARNS PLACED SIDE BY SIDE.

SHUSU EMBRIODERY

JAPANESE, ANTIQUE EMBRIODERED WEDDING KIMONO

KIMONO PROPERTY OF WOO FAMILY FOUNDATION INC.

JACQUARD

JAPANESE,

ANTIQUE JACQUARD KIMONO

KIMONO PROPERTY OF WOO FAMILY FOUNDATION INC.

EMBRIODERY

JAPANESE,

EMBROIDERED HAPPI

HAPPI PROPERTY OF WOO FAMILY FOUNDATION INC.

YU YZ U EZ N E NR E R SE ISSI TS TD Y D EY IENI G NG

WITH A DYEING TECHNIQUE INVENTED IN 17TH CENTURY KYOTO, A MIXTURE OF RICE PASTE AND SOYBEANS HAS BEEN USED TO DRAW DELICATE FREE-HAND LINEAR MOTIFS ON WHITE SILK. AN ARTIST SQUEEZES THE PASTE THROUGH A FUNNEL-SHAPED CONTAINER MUCH LIKE A SMALL PASTRY BAG (BELOW LEFT). AFTER THIS PASTE RESIST DRIES, HE PAINTS THE AREAS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE LINES WITH BRUSHES, USING THE DESIRED DYE COLORS. DELICATE SHADED EFFECTS CAN BE CREATED, AND THE RICE PASTE OUTLINES PREVENT THE DYE FROM SEEPING INTO SURROUNDING AREAS. EVEN BROAD EXPANSES OF THE BACKGROUND COLOR ARE DYED IN THIS MANNER -- BY HAND PAINTING. THE MOST CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF KIMONO ORNAMENTATION MADE IN THIS WAY ARE SUBTLE COLOR GRADATIONS AND NARROW, FLOWING LIGHT LINES THAT OUTLINE THE MOTIFS.

JAPANESE, ANTIQUE YUZEN RESIST DYED KIMONO

KIMONO PROPERTY OF WOO FAMILY FOUNDATION INC.

SUMI- E PAINTING FREE-HAND PAINTING WITH INDELIBLE INKS AND BRUSHES IS ALSO A TIME- HONORED JAPANESE METHOD OF FABRIC DECORATION. IT APPEARS ON KIMONOS, BUT EVEN MORE FREQUENTLY ON THE PICTORIAL LININGS OF MEN'S SHORT BLACK HAORI JACKETS.

SUMI-E PAINTING

JAPANESE, ANTIQUE SUMI E-PAINTED WEDDING KIMONO

KIMONO PROPERTY OF WOO FAMILY FOUNDATION INC.

KASURI (IKAT) THESE IKAT FABRIC IS MADE BY SELECTIVELY BINDING AND DYEING PARTS OF THE WARP OR WEFT THREADS, OR EVEN BOTH, BEFORE THE FABRIC IS WOVEN. IT IS AN ARDUOUS AND EXACTING PROCESS. FOR EITHER SILK OR COTTON FABRICS, THE THREADS ARE STRETCHED ON A FRAME SELECTED DESIGN AREAS ARE BOUND, THEN THE HANKS OF BOUND THREADS ARE IMMERSED IN THE DYE POTS.

KASURI

(IKAT)

BY EDERIC ONG,

IKAT KIMONO

KIMONO PROPERTY OF WOO FAMILY FOUNDATION INC.

KATAZOME THESE FABRICS ARE PRODUCED WITH STENCILS. RICE PASTE IS PRESSED THROUGH THE ELABORATELY CUT, HEAVY, OILED STENCILS ONTO THE FABRIC; THEN AFTER DRYING, THE FABRICS ARE IMMERSED IN THE DYE POTS. THIS PROCESS HAS OFTEN BEEN USED WITH INDIGO BLUE ON COTTON FOR SUMMER YUKATA KIMONO OR FOR FUTON COVERS. SOMETIMES WAX HAS BEEN USED INSTEAD, AS IN BATIKS MADE ELSEWHERE.

KATAZOME.

BY EDERIC ONG, STENCIL DYED KIMONO

KIMONO PROPERTY OF WOO FAMILY FOUNDATION INC.

SHIBORI.

SHIBORI THE FABRIC MAY BE ALLOWED TO RETAIN ITS CHARACTERISTIC PUCKERED SURFACE. SHIBORI TECHNIQUES CAN ALSO BE PRODUCED BY CLAMPING, STITCHING OR FOLDING THE FABRICS IN VARIOUS WAYS TO PRODUCE UNUSUAL PATTERNING.

BY EDERIC ONG, DYED SILK HAPPI

HAPPI PROPERTY OF WOO FAMILY FOUNDATION INC.