Label text for "Kimono and Obi: Romantic Echoes from Japan's Golden Age," July 10, 2016 - January 15, 2017: Maru Obi with Gosho-guruma and Chinese Building 1912–1940, Taisho/Early Showa Eras Japan Silk with supplementary wefts of silk, and metal-leafed paper strips wrapped around silk or cotton thread core Woven into this maru obi is a repeating design of two overlapping hi-ogi (court fans). The Heian motif of a noble’s carriage (gosho-guruma) is enclosed within the silhouette of one hi-ogi. It is accompanied by pines (symbols of faithfulness and longevity), and a bridge (a common landscape feature on Heian estates with their large artificial lakes). The other hi-ogi encloses an exoticized Chinese building surrounded by clouds, chrysanthemums, and pine boughs. The building is not an accurate representation of Chinese architecture, but serves as a reminder of the hold Chinese culture had on the imaginations of Heian courtiers. Bequest of Sylvia G. Straton, Rhinebeck, New York BMA 2002.686