Kimono with paper strip (noshi) design

Robes like this one reflect the changes to Japanese society that swept the nation in the period following the great Tokyo earthquake of 1923. New textile manufacturing techniques led to a process for mass-produced, durable silk robes in bright, colorful designs that matched the modern sensibility of the age. The designs for this type of robe, known as meisen, were stenciled onto the yarn; in this case the weft threads, which were wound around a board the same width as the woven cloth. Up close, the resulting plain-weave garments had the look of traditional fabrics dyed with the more labor-intensive kasuri method of gathering up and tying blocks of threads before dipping them into a vat of color. One key difference, apart from the use of stencil, was that the colors were chemically derived, and typically arranged in bold, contrasting patterns. The pattern here evokes noshi, the narrow paper strips traditionally used to tie gifts. Splayed in an abstract manner, in alternating red and yellow, they have a cheerful, syncopated rhythm.