Edo-period kosode
The forerunner of the kimono, with a single large design running across the whole garment.
In the Edo period wealthy merchants became clients of Kyoto’s textile artists, and pattern books spread fashion. The kosode is the direct model for today’s kimono. Examples are in the Tokyo National Museum and the Metropolitan Museum.
Materials: Silk, embroidery, resist dyeing (yuzen), gold leaf
Manufacture: A garment of straight panels; the design dyed with rice-paste resist and embroidered after cutting.
The design running diagonally across the back, like a painting.
The straight seams – the garment is built from rectangles.