Object History
This printed silk men’s (nagajuban) was purchased by Dr. Reem Tariq El Mutwalli from a dealer in New York in 2017 to add to the collection of The Zay Initiative.
Object Features
This is a (chirimen) silk men’s nagajuban printed in blue, grey, and green with patterns of cranes in mid-flight.
The field of this nagajuban also called (juban) is printed in large, chequered patterns in blue and light green. It has a second layer of print depicting large cranes in mid-flight possibly executed by stencil printing or (katazome_print) technique.
A man’s (kimono) and (juban) is usually identified by their sleeves. Unlike the women’s kimono, men’s traditional Japanese garments usually retain the stitched sleeve structure from the (kosode) – the predecessor of the kimono.
Traditionally, nagajuban were not lined except the sleeves which were usually lined with the same fabric of the juban. However, this piece is lined with an ivory satin fabric while its sleeves retain the traditional style lining.
Also, interestingly the collars of a nagajuban are much shorter in length than the kimono and comes in two different types – gusseted stiff and flexible and soft– in this case the collars are short, soft and flexible. Men’s nagajuban are also traditionally more decorative than their kimonos.
Though The Zay Initiative is concerned mainly with the dress and adornment heritage of the Arab world, it does include in its collection articles from areas outside the region. These tend to be collected to illustrate specific shared elements and influences attesting that the Arab world never existed in a vacuum. It constantly drew, and continues to draw, inspiration and influences from the cultures it comes in contact with be it through trade or geopolitical circumstances, especially those countries within the old silk route.
Therefore, one cannot but draw parallels between many techniques used in such garments, such as (couching) and thread knotting techniques (macrame), or flat metal adornment (talli), that are quite similar to those found in different parts of the Arab region.
The kimono, in particular, displays similarities that can be drawn with the pattern of Arab women’s overgarment or the (thawb), common to the Gulf region, constructed of three uncut panels of broad clothes forming the central body panel and the side sleeve panels very similar in shape to the kimono.
More Info
Katazome is a traditional Japanese textile printing technique that utilizes stencils to create intricate and detailed designs on fabric. The word “katazome” translates to “stencil dyeing” in English, and the technique involves creating a stencil out of paper or other materials and then applying a resist paste to the fabric through the stencil. Once the paste has dried, the fabric is dyed, and the areas where the resist paste was applied remain undyed, creating a pattern on the fabric.
Katazome stencils are typically made using a combination of hand-carving and off late machine-cutting techniques. The stencils themselves can be highly detailed, with intricate designs and patterns that can take weeks or even months to create. The resist paste used in katazome can also vary depending on the desired effect, with some pastes being more resistant to dye than others.
During the Edo period (1603-1868), katazome became a popular art form among the common people in Japan, and various regional styles of the technique emerged. In addition to clothing, katazome was used to create a wide range of household items such as curtains, bedding, and tablecloths. The intricate designs and vibrant colours of katazome made it a highly sought-after craft, and the popularity of the technique continued to grow.
Links
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- Gluckman, Dale Carolyn and Sharon Sadako Takeda. When Art Became Fashion: Kosode in Edo-Period Japan. Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1996.
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- Takeda, Sharon Sadako. Monumenta Nipponica, vol. 49, no. 2, 1994, pp. 245–47. JSTOR,https://doi.org/10.2307/2385177. Accessed 10 May 2023.
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- Richard, Naomi Noble. “Nō Motifs in the Decoration of a Mid-Edo Period Kosode.” Metropolitan Museum Journal, vol. 25, 1990, pp. 175–83. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/1512899. Accessed 10 May 2023.
- Kramer, Elizabeth. “Review of ‘Kimono: A Modern History.’” Reviews in History, School of Advanced Study, 2015. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14296/rih/2014/1787.
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