Chuburisode Depicting Matsukaze (Breeze Through the Pines) Theme
1866
Physical Qualities
Silk, dye, pigments, metal-leafed paper strips, metal-leafed paper strips wrapped around silk or cotton thread core, silk embroidery threads, silk lining, 62 x 50 in. (157.5 x 127 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. T. Meredith Hunter
Object Number
1955.155
Blue chirimen (crepe) silk chuburisode (medium-long sleeve woman's kimono) with hand painted yuzen dyed decoration. The upper portion of the robe and the sleeves are solid medium blue. The lower portion of both robe and sleeves contain scenes depicting the exile of the Heian poet Ariwara-no-Yukihira (818-893) to the Bay of Suma and the Noh play "Matsukaze"(Wind through the Pines) about two Suma women who fell in love with him.
The background depicts a slightly hilly landscape with scattered salt huts (where the women carried water to evaporate for salt), country garden fences, a kicho (court curtain) and several dance curtains (decorated curtains suspended from rods attached to stakes topped by orbs). The veranda of a Heian mansion is seen at the lower right front of the robe surrounded by clouds. Farther to the right is a noble's carriage (gosho-guruma) at the upper right top of the decorated panel on the kimono is a depiction of Mt. Fuji. In another area, two small white water buckets sitting outside of a salt hut refer to the women's work of gathering briny sea water to be boiled down to form salt. Three crests or kamon are located along the top back shoulder area. These are ivy leaves within a circle,
The design is carried out mostly in dark blue, medium blue, green and variations between the two shades, as well as lavender, black, grey, white, yellow, red/pink, golden beige, and darker golden beige. Embroidery is present in couched gold colored metallic threads that outline the noble's carriage and gold metallic gilded paper strips that appear in the trees and flowers. These include Chinese Bell Flower, maidenflower, Hagi (Japanese bush clover), and miscanthus grass The techniques used on this kimono include yuzen (paste resist outline dyeing), kaki-e (hand painting), nui (embroidery), and koma nui (couching).
The kimono is lined in red silk, Its hem is slightly padded. All seams are hand sewn.
The Baltimore Museum of Art by gift, ex. collection Mrs. T. Meredith Hunter
Anita Jones and Ann Marie Moeller, The Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD, "Kimono and Obi: Romantic Echoes from Japan's Golden Age," July 10, 2016 - January 15, 2017.
Inscribed: No inscriptions, but three kamon (Japanese crests) featuring three ivy leaves within a circle