A Juban or Woman's Under Kimono: Sekka Shibori and Others

mid twentieth century
47" x 44", 119.5 cm x 111.5 cm

This pieced garment is a juban or an under-kimono. It is a mash-up of three different kinds of cotton cloth: a kasuri or ikat woven skirt, commercially printed sleeves and a sekka shibori bodice of gauzy cotton.

The combination of these three very different styles and colors of cloth is spirited and unusual: one of the reasons for such a vibrant display of clashing colors and patterns is that this garment would never be seen, so often scrap pieces were used in the making of undergarments.

A wonderfully strange mix of colors and patterns, this is a lovely treasure from old Japan.