Outside and Inside: An Indigo Stripe Kimono with a Crazy Patchwork Lining
The outside of this kimono is quiet. Indigo-dyed cotton, striped, calm — the kind of fabric that was made for everyday wear, for the fields and the kitchen and the ordinary hours of daily life. The stripe is clear and sharp. The indigo, though it may appear subtle at first glance, reveals itself on closer inspection as genuine traditional dyeing: the color is in the thread, absorbed through the dyeing process, present in the fabric's structure rather than on its surface.
The inside is something else entirely. The lining of this kimono is crazy patchwork — several different fabrics joined together in an irregular composition, each piece a different color or pattern or weight, the whole thing a record of practical necessity transformed into something visually compelling. The patchwork was not made to be seen. It was made to be worn, to use what was available, to extend the life of the garment under the difficult living conditions of the early to mid-Showa period. But viewed from a contemporary perspective, the composition and color variations give the lining a distinct and compelling presence that the quiet exterior does not prepare you for.
The Indigo Stripe: Quiet, Precise, Traditional
Indigo-dyed striped cotton was one of the most common fabrics for everyday kimono in the early to mid-Showa period. It was practical — cotton was durable and washable, indigo was a traditional dye with natural antibacterial properties, and the stripe pattern was simple enough to produce efficiently while still providing visual interest. But common does not mean without quality. The indigo dyeing of this kimono is genuine: the color has the depth and variation of traditional dyeing, the stripe has the sharpness of fabric woven with care.
The garment was originally intended as everyday wear — not a formal kimono, not a display piece, but something worn in the ordinary hours of daily life. That origin is part of what makes it interesting: it was made to be used, and it was used, and it has arrived with the particular character of fabric that has been through time and use and washing and still holds its integrity.
The Miyatsuguchi: Present and Functional
This kimono has miyatsuguchi — the traditional side-body openings at the underarm that are characteristic of Japanese clothing construction. In a long kimono worn as a robe or outer layer in a contemporary wardrobe, the miyatsuguchi functions as both a practical detail — allowing the arms to move freely without pulling the body of the garment — and a visual one: an opening in the side seam that gives the garment lightness and distinguishes it from any contemporary robe or coat.
The Crazy Patchwork Lining: Practical Necessity, Unintentional Art
The lining of this kimono is crazy patchwork — an irregular composition of several different fabrics, each piece a different color or pattern, joined together without the regularity of planned patchwork. This was not decorative intent. In the early to mid-Showa period, fabric was scarce and valuable; linings were made from whatever was available, from remnants and scraps and pieces of worn-out garments that still had usable sections. The crazy patchwork lining is a record of that scarcity — of the practical intelligence that found a way to make a complete lining from incomplete materials.
But the result, viewed from the present, is visually compelling in a way that planned decoration rarely achieves. The irregular composition, the unexpected color combinations, the variety of textures and patterns — these create a lining that is more interesting than any single fabric could be. The contrast with the quiet, regular stripe of the exterior is part of what makes this kimono distinctive: the outside is calm and precise; the inside is varied and alive.
Size and Condition
Era: Early to mid-Showa (1920s–1950s). Material: Cotton. Miyatsuguchi present. Back length approx. 119cm / 46.9in. Chest approx. 61cm / 24.0in. Shoulder width approx. 63cm / 24.8in. Sleeve length approx. 31cm / 12.2in. Sleeve width approx. 43cm / 16.9in. Cuff width approx. 21cm / 8.3in. Areas of wear, fraying, small holes, fabric slippage throughout. Lining sleeves show stains and uneven coloration. Creasing present, suggesting previous alteration or waist tuck. Washed twice in-house. Vintage scent may remain. One of a kind.