A Resist Dyed Han Juban: Contrasting Details

**reduced from $195.00**
early to mid twentieth century
25" x 46", 63.5 cm x 117 cm

This is a han juban or a half under kimono that is made from resist dyed cotton.

The reinforcements on the sleeves are in a contrasting pattern to the base cloth and are of a super lightweight wool which has been attacked by moths: this kind of wool was used a great deal in the early twentieth century in Japan and almost all of it shows this kind of damage.

Otherwise it seems the han juban is unused, or barely worn.

The base cloth shows large scale leaves, possibly ivy, and irregularly-shaped deep blue toned blotches inside of which we see Chinese bellflower depicted using dots. The vertically-oriented design of the background is probably willow.

Because the sleeves of this han juban are the same length as the bodice it forms a very neat rectangular shape when viewed flat. For this reason this could easily be hung on the wall and admired for its visual beauty. It can also be worn, of course, which is the reason it was made.

Just lovely--wonderfully contrasting patterns and tonal values.