A Length of Niko Niko Kasuri: Off-Brand Bambi
early to mid twentieth century
36" x 13", 91.5 cm x 33 cm
This cotton fragment from a child's kimono is weird and charming: it is a length of Niko-Niko kasuri, a kind of machine-aided ikat that was popular in the first half of the twentieth century.
In this case we the Disney character, Bambi, which was clearly copied from the film. More than likely it did not conform to Disney's licensing policies--and as the film dates to 1942 we know this cloth was produced sometime in the 1940s.
This is a novelty cloth but it is by no means unique: in Japan all sorts of popular American cartoon characters appeared on their textiles and other cultural items, Mickey and Minnie Mouse among them.
This piece has a kind of water stain on it which can be seen in the accompanying photos, but it has an odd charm and definitely calls up an aspect of life in old Japan.