ca. early to mid twentieth century
29 1/2" x 46", 75 cm x 117 cm

This is a cotton under-kimono, kind of like a half-slip that is worn like a sarong. In certain cases this kind of under kimono is referred to as koshimaki.

The blue dyed cloth, the base of this boro textile, is probably commerciallly produced (or at least the cotton is powerloomed), and there are ten pieces sewn together to create the area of the koshimaki. Note the flowers (camellias?) which are the repeat pattern on this cloth: this pattern is very close to some Wiener Werkstatte textiles, which owe some of their design inspiration to Japanese textiles. That said, textile design in Japan in the twentieth century was inspired by European tastes and tendencies, so in this pattern we probably see a design cross-pollination of sorts.

Four prominent patches add visual interest to this garment which has two tapes, one at each top corner, to use for wrapping aound the lower body.

Recommended.