Page 353 - JAPAN THE SHAPING OFDAIMYO CULTURE 1185-1868

271 Kosode Characteristically, touches of embroidery
embroidery and dyeing on silk in bright gold and colors liven this cool
1.155.0 (60 Vz) color scheme. Katabira in other color
w. 120.o (46 3/ 4) schemes might be worn by men as well as
Edo period, icth century women, but blue-and-white chaya-dyed ka-
Nomura Collection, tabira were worn only by women, particu-
National Museum of Japanese larly if not exclusively by women of the
History, upper levels of samurai society.
Chiba Prefecture Typically, chayazome designs were
landscapes or waterscapes; here we have
A characteristic samurai-class kosode from an idealized rustic landscape with a stream
the latter part of the Edo period, the deco- purling through it, fishing nets drawn up
ration on this example is concentrated be- to dry (in tepeelike shapes) along the
tween the waist and the bottom hem and stream banks, compounds of thatch-
executed in shiro age, reserved white, with roofed cottages behind brushwood fences,
added embroidery. On the light green a tiny arched bridge, and everywhere flow-
chirimen (silk crepe) cloth is a shore scene ering fields and pine groves in a boldly
of plovers and pine trees, with the waves two-dimensional arrangement whose re-
and pine trees in reserved white and em- semblance to a meandering stream is prob-
broidered in gold-leaf-covered thread. The ably not accidental. In this magical
plovers, sewn in gold, fly in a dipping line landscape, verdure of all the seasons ap-
from one sleeve to the other. A hut origi- pear together: plum blossoms of late win-
nally embroidered at the shore in black ter; cherry blossoms of early spring; irises,
thread is now all but gone. peonies, and narcissus of summer; chry-
Many kosode designs of the Edo pe- santhemums, bellflowers, bush clover, and
riod were based on literary themes taken maple leaves of fall. Bamboo grass carpets
from well-known Japanese and Chinese the open spaces, water lilies lift their broad
poems, a trend especially noticeable in ko- leaves in the stream, and dense stands of
sode worn by the court and samurai pine offer cool shade.
classes. By long poetic tradition, plovers As well as being aesthetically pleasing,
over water bespeak winter. The combina- this katabira is technically a tour de force.
tion of plovers, a hut, and pine trees at the The outlines of the paste-resisted areas
seashore in this example recalls the fa- were flawless. The ivory background areas
mous poem by Minamoto no Kanemasa in were probably brush-dyed, as were the
the early-twelfth-century poetry anthology touches of yellow in the pine trees, and
Kiriydshu (Anthology of golden leaves): the very fine slightly greenish blue lines in
the fishing nets and the brushwood fences
Plovers have probably been drawn with indigo
fly to and from Awaji Island pigment. KS
calling;
how many nights have their cries 273 Katabira
awakened the barrier guard of Suma ? KS chaya-zome and embroidery on hemp
1.161.0 (62 3/ 4)
272 Katabira w. 123.0 (48)
chayazome, embroidery, and pigment Edo period, icth century
on hemp Nomura Collection,
1. 165.0 (64 3/8) National Museum of Japanese
W. 129.0 (50 !/ 4 ) History,
Edo period, i8th century Chiba Prefecture
Nomura Collection,
National Museum of Japanese This hemp katabira, or summer robe, is
History, the canvas for a unified shore scene. Only
Chiba Prefecture the left sleeve is blank, and so persuasive is
the design that the viewer imagines it con-
Katabira were unlined kosode worn made tinuing there, hidden only by distance and
for the most part of hemp or ramie. The by mist. Unlike cat. 272, which is assert-
crisp coolness of these fabrics made them ively two-dimensional and exceedingly
particularly suitable for summer wear. stylized in its depiction of motifs from na-
Chayazome, or "Chaya dyeing," refers to ture, this landscape recedes into the dis-
the exceedingly laborious, exacting, and tance from hem to shoulder and treats
expensive technique whereby the areas to each individual motif with considerable
be reserved were paste-resisted on both modeling and three-dimensionality. All the
sides of the fabric before the garment was
dip-dyed in indigo. Several shades of blue
could be achieved by paste-resisting each
area of the design when its desired shade
had been reached, then continuing to dip
the garment for darker shades elsewhere.

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