I wasn’t sure if this is one or the other, or both, hence the subject line. I wonder if it’s possible to date this. It’s lined in silk and the outside seems like some different kind of silk. I think it might be all hand sewn, or at the least quite a lot of it, and it’s old enough that the seams pop with not very much effort. I can’t figure out how the patterns are put on it but they aren’t hand painted. It’s very long. No labels. Thank you!
This is a five-mon tomesode kimono. The small devices on the front and back are called "mon," or "kamon" and are generally analogous to a family crest in the western world. The foliate decoration is almost certainly hand-drawn and resist dyed, a technique that is supposed to look like a painting and is called "yuzen" in Japan. Both silks look like crepe.
Thank you. That was extremely helpful. Also, you are absolutely right about the silk crepe, but I do believe the lining isn’t a crepe but just a very delicate silk. The person who gave it to me (family member) said it was from the 20s, but I wanted to be sure. I did a lot of reading based on your information and I think they were probably right. The sleeves are about 21” long, and it is a deep purple color.
