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Kimono Kimono

Kimono
Artwork Labels & Didactics

Kimono introduction

A treasured item instilled with sentimental memories and cultural references for the people of Japan, and an artefact of wondrous design and beauty for those from outside of Japan, the kimono has become one of the most representative objects of Japanese art, design and culture.

A combination of two Japanese characters (着物) literally meaning ‘thing to wear’, the term ‘kimono’ only came into common use in the nineteenth century. Early styles of uniquely Japanese women’s court costume known as jūnihitoe (twelve-layer robe) developed during the Heian period (794–1185); however, the earliest forms of kimono that we know today were the inner kosode and outer uchikake worn by the aristocracy from the Kamakura period (1185–1333) onwards. The opulence of these styles remains preserved in Noh theatre costumes.

It was during the financially prosperous Edo period (1600–1868) that the art of kimono production flourished. Samurai living in peaceful times, the economically booming merchant classes, and the festivals of farming and labouring tradespeople gave rise to technical innovations resulting in magnificent garments. Today, over two hundred years later, the kimono is experiencing renewed popularity in Japan, with groundbreaking young designers experimenting with new techniques, while internationally renowned designers inspired by kimono traditions present daring fashion statements to the world.


JAPANESE

Uchikake furisode, wedding kimono with pine, bamboo, plum and cranes

late Edo period (early – mid 19th century) Japan

silk, satin silk, shibori tie-dyeing, embroidery, silk thread, gilt thread

Purchased with funds donated by Michael and Emily Tong, 2024 2024.90

This kimono’s deep red colour (beni-iro), detailed tie-dye shibori patterning, gilt thread, long sleeves and auspicious motifs, or symbols of good fortune, designate it as an extravagant wedding kimono for the daughter of a wealthy merchant family. Known as the ‘three friends of winter’, the design of pine trees, plum blossom and bamboo represents strength and resilience, qualities associated with a successful marriage. The lozenge-shaped and circular-shaped crane designs – incorporated into most wedding garments – symbolise long life and happiness. The ornate display of massed tiny (shirobori) patterns is known as kanoko shibori, reminiscent of the spotted markings on a young deer’s back.

New acquisition


Ito SHOHA

Japanese 1877–1968

Early autumn evening
Sōshū no yoru

1920–35

ink and colour on silk

Purchased with funds donated by Pam and Paul Martin, 2025

Ito Shoha was a was one of the few women painters active in Japan during the Meiji to early Shōwa periods (1868–1940). She is best known for her genre paintings and bijin-ga (paintings of women). Early autumn evening is a nuanced depiction of the changing seasons. A classically adorned young woman holds a silver fan, indicating the closing days of summer. Wearing an Edo-period hairstyle and a mauve kimono featuring autumn flowers, she looks down at an cricket climbing a bamboo curtain. In Japan, crickets appear in the opening weeks of autumn, heralding the arrival of the season.

New acquisition


JAPANESE

Wedding sandals
Konrei yo pokkuri geta

1900–1930 Japan

lacquer on wood, metal, silk, cotton, velvet, treated straw

Gift of Noriaki Kaneko, 2025

New acquisition


Turtle shell

Historically, turtle shell was valued as an art material due to its natural beauty. However, due to deceasing numbers of turtles in the wild and their importance in marine ecosystems, the use of turtle shell is no longer condoned. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) intergovernmental agreement banned the international turtle shell trade in 1977. The hair adornments in this exhibition were produced prior to 1930, and have been included in this display due to their historic and cultural significance, and as examples of their creators’ fine artisanship.


JAPANESE

Bridal hair adornment
Konrei kamikazari

c. 1920 Japan

turtle shell (bekkoh)

Gift of Asami Wilson, 2025

New acquisition


JAPANESE

Katabira kosode, summer kimono with bouquets and scattered fans

late Edo period (early – mid 19th century) Japan

ramie, silk, suri-hitta imitation tie-dye design, gold and silver thread

Purchased with funds donated by Peter Chu, 2024 2024.92

This kimono was intended for a high-class samurai woman. Katabira refers to a lightweight summer kimono made from ramie fabric and kosode refers to a short-sleeve kimono for a married woman. Here colourful bouquets of peonies, hollyhocks and wisteria feature on a white background. Scattered folding fans throughout symbolise prosperity and good fortune. Bamboo, maple leaves, pine trees, butterflies and pine needles allude to the changing seasons, as well as poetry from the Hyakunin Isshu, the classical anthology of one hundred poems by one hundred poets.

New acquisition


JAPANESE

Obi with imperial cart wheels, bamboo and chrysanthemums
Genji guruma take kiku mon obi

mid 19th century, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

silk, gilt thread

Proposed acquisition


JAPANESE

Katabira furisode, summer kimono with falling snow scene

late Edo period (early – mid 19th century) Japan

ramie, paste-resist yuzen dye

Purchased with funds donated by Cecily and John Adams, 2024 2024.91

Celebrating their recently established financial power, the Edo-period merchant class took great pride in appreciating the subtle nuances of seasonal themes, as can be seen in this katabira furisode, a lightweight summer kimono for an unmarried girl. The decoration on this garment features snow falling diagonally onto a frosty landscape festooned with bamboo, rocks and plum trees bearing the first blossoms of spring – a visual pun intended to evoke a cooling sensation for the kimono’s wearer during the hot summer months.

New acquisition


JAPANESE

Uchikake kosode with windy seashore and fishing scene

mid Edo period (late 18th century) Japan

crepe silk, paste-resist dyeing, silk, embroidery

Purchased with funds donated by Janet Whiting and Phil Lukies, 2024 2024.89

Uchikake, or formal outer kimono, were produced for samurai or wealthy merchant-class women. This example displays a windy seashore scene with boats, reeds, pine trees and drying fishing nets. The decoration was produced with a combination of embriodery and yuzen resist-dyeing techniques. Yuzen was increasingly used during the eighteenth and ninteenth centuries as a quicker and more affordable decoration technique.

New acquisition


JAPANESE

Kimono stand with crossed hawk feathers family crest
Takanoha mon ikō

early – mid 19th century Japan

lacquer on wood, metal

Purchased with funds donated by Pauline Gandel AC, 2025

New acquisition


JAPANESE

Figures

c. 1700 Japan

stoneware, porcelain, gilt, enamel colour

Gift of Noriaki Kaneko, 2023 2023.207, 2023.208

Produced primarily for the European export market, porcelain figures combined elaborate kimono and elegant postures to create an idealised view of Japan. These figures’ uchikake (outer robes) are decorated with seasonal flowers and swirling water motifs that evoke the attire of leading courtesans of the Edo period (1600–1868). Produced in the town of Arita, such items were shipped from the port of Imari to Europe and became popular interior decoration in European aristocratic homes.

New acquisition


Oiran

The highest-ranking courtesans, oiran were renowned throughout Japan for their beauty, gorgeously decorated costumes, refined entertainment skills and training in traditional arts. Many oiran became celebrities both inside and outside of Japan’s legendary pleasure quarters such as Yoshiwara, and were commonly depicted in ukiyo-e woodblock prints and kabuki theatre plays. Famed for wearing exceptionally high platformed sandals, elaborate arrangements of hair ornaments and multiple layers of vibrantly decorated kimono with ornate obi sashes, oiran represented the epitome of popular beauty and fashion for the burgeoning financially empowered merchant classes.


Utagawa YOSHITORA

Japanese active 1850s–80s

Sparrow design kimono with crane and turtle design obi
Suzume gara uchikake to tsuru kame gara obi

1859 Japan

ink and colour on paper, woodblock print

Purchased with funds donated by Cecilie Hall, 2025

New acquisition


Utagawa KUNISADA II

Japanese 1823–80

Peony design kimono
Botan gara uchikake

c. 1862 Japan

ink and colour on paper, woodblock print

Purchased with funds donated by Cecilie Hall, 2025

New acquisition

Samurai men’s fashion

The formal attire of high-ranking samurai men was known as kamishimo, consisting of a kataginu vest and hakama trousers. Naga-bakama are long trousers that were worn for indoor audiences with daimyo (feudal lords) or the shogun (military ruler of the country). Kamishimo outfits were worn over richly coloured refined silk noshime kimono that featured a decorative waistband of kasuri ikat dyeing and weaving. Both kamishimo and noshime displayed kamon, the clan crest of the wearer. Among the examples here is a rare full set displaying the nanbu tsuru (double crane) family crest from the Tohoku region of northern Japan and a noshime with the Tachibana family crest originating from the Nara region.


JAPANESE

Men’s kamishimo formal vest and trousers and noshime kimono with nanbu tsuru family crest

18th century, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

silk

Proposed acquisition


JAPANESE

Men’s noshime kimono with Tachibana family crest

18th – mid 19th century, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

silk

Proposed acquisition


Inrō

Kimono did not have pockets, so compartmentalised sets of boxes known as inrō were attached by a toggle (netsuke) to the obi waist sash of men’s kimono. Personal items like tobacco, medicine and name seals were often carried in inrō. Exquisitely crafted using refined lacquer techniques and precious materials such as mother-of-pearl, coral and ivory, the designs on inrō expressed the wearer’s personality and cultivated tastes. On these examples a carp swimming up a waterfall symbolises strength and determination; pilgrims pasting their name tag high on a shrine gate represent religious piety; and a mountain village landscape symbolises nostalgia for a simple and contemplative life close to nature.


YAMADA Jōkasai

Japanese active 19th century

Inrō with carp climbing a waterfall
Koi no taki nobori zu inrō

19th century, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

lacquer, gold alloy, gold, silver, metal, ivory, silk (cord)

Netsuke of boy with drum
Danji ni taiko netsuke

19th century, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

ivory

Felton Bequest, 1921 2291-D3


KORYŪSAI

Japanese active 19th century

Inrō with mountain and village landscape
Bōkyō zu inrō

19th century, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

lacquer on paper (maki-e), mother-of-pearl, gold, agate, silk, other materials

Netsuke of puppy dog
Kuji netsuke

19th century, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

ivory

Felton Bequest, 1921 2290-D3


KAKŌSAI Shinryosai

Japanese active 19th century

Inrō with pilgrim and shrine gate
Henro torii zu inrō

19th century, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

lacquer on paper (maki-e), gold, mother-of-pearl, coral, ivory, stoneware, metal, silk, other materials

Netsuke with two Chinese boys
Karako zu netsuke

19th century, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

lacquer

Gift of Mr Geoffrey Innes in memory of Mr Guy Innes, 1960 137-D5


JAPANESE

Uchikake kosode with a falconry scene and Heian-period imperial cart amongst flowers

c. 1800, late Edo period (early – mid 19th century) Japan

silk, crepe silk, paste-resist dye, embroidery, gilt thread

Purchased with funds donated by Geraldine Buxton, 2024 2024.88

The falconry scene with cranes, sparrows and a golden pheasant on the upper section of this kimono alludes to samurai culture. Lower down, an imperial or noble person’s cart (Gosho-guruma) is pictured amongst a full bloom of spring and autumn flowers, referencing Heian-period (794–1185) imperial lifestyle and poetry. Uchikake were worn as outer garments without an obi sash. It is likely this garment was made for a high-class samurai woman.

New acquisition


JAPANESE

Obi with spiralling vine motif
Karakusa mon obi

mid 19th century, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

silk, gilt thread

Proposed acquisition

Noh theater

Noh is a masked dance-drama in which extreme stylisation of music and movement creates a beautiful and mysterious atmosphere for narratives that move between the human and spiritual realms. Early Noh robes produced during the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries were based on the elegant kimono of the ruling warrior classes. Although very few examples of aristocratic kimono from that period survive, this style of luxuriantly woven garment has been preserved through the Edo period (1600– 1868) and into the present day in the production of Noh theatre robes. Such garments allow us to visualise aristocratic fashion of the Japanese medieval period.


JAPANESE

Atsuita, Noh theatre robe
Nōshōzoku atsuita

late 18th century – early 19th century, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

silk, gilt-paper, silk thread

Felton Bequest in honour of Allan Myers AO President of the Council of Trustees of the NGV, 2012 2012.262

The striking alternating block design of this atsuita costume – worn mainly for male roles – displays auspicious symbols of bamboo grass leaves (sasa), cloud-shaped gongs (kumochoban), stylised flowers (karabana) and interlocking deer horns.


JAPANESE

Noh libretto box with scene from The Tale of Genji

18th – 19th century Japan

lacquer on wood

Gift of Baillieu Myer AC and Mrs Sarah Myer, 2021 2021.532

This elaborately decorated box is testament to the refined tastes and sophisticated ambience associated with Noh theatre. Intended for the storage of libretti (vocal scores), musical scores and instructions for dance postures, it displays a scene from Murasaki Shikibu’s eleventh-century literary work The Tale of Genji.


DEME Mitsunaga

Japanese active 17th century

Noh mask, Shakumi
Nōmen Shakumi

early Edo period (17th century) Japan

pigments, ground shell and animal glue on cypress (hinoki)

Purchased with funds donated by Allan Myers AO and Maria Myers AO, 2011 2011.350

Onna-men (female human masks) are the most well known and popular of Noh masks. Shakumi is a middle-aged woman; her youthful looks are a distant memory. The loose strands of hair give her the careworn look of one who has suffered and survived countless trials and tribulations, and it is for this reason Shakumi often appears in the role of a mother. The mask’s overall expression is one of graceful strength that denotes acceptance of one’s fate.


JAPANESE

Noh mask, Chūjō
Nōmen Chūjō

early Edo period (17th century) Japan

pigments, ground shell and animal glue on cypress (hinoki), silk thread cord

Purchased with funds donated by Allan Myers AO and Maria Myers AO, 2011 2011.351

This otoko-men (male human mask) takes its name from the talented Heian-period (794–1185) poet Ariwara no Narihira, on whom the mask was modelled. Narihira was a chūjō (lieutenant-general), born into a family of imperial blood. He was reputedly as ardent a lover as he was a poet, and famously had an affair with the emperor’s consort. In Noh theatre Chūjō masks are used to portray noblemen or gallant but ultimately doomed warriors.


JAPANESE

Kimono stand with chrysanthemum motif
Kiku moyō ikō

late 18th century Japan

lacquer on wood, metal

Purchased with funds donated by Pauline Gandel AC, 2025

Sumptuously decorated kimono stands have furnished the palaces, villas and homes of members of the ruling shogunate and samurai classes since the Muromachi period (1336–1573). Designed to display the household’s most gorgeously decorated kimono, these stands appear in paintings of luxurious Japanese interiors from the sixteenth century onwards. Decorated with black and gold lacquer in a technique known as maki-e (sprinkled gold), this stand features kiku moy>ō (chrysanthemum flower and leaf motif).

New acquisition


JAPANESE

Karaori, Noh theatre robe
Nōshōzoku karaori

late Edo period (early – mid 19th century) Japan

silk

Felton Bequest in honour of Allan Myers AO President of the Council of Trustees of the NGV, 2012 2012.264

The delicate design of this karaori costume, worn mainly for female or spirit roles, displays autumn flowers including chrysanthemums (kiku), bell flowers (kikyō) and bush clover (hagi).


JAPANESE

Kyōgen theatre yellow check kimono

19th century, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

silk

Purchased, NGV Asian Art Acquisition Fund, 2014 2014.33


JAPANESE

Kyōgen theatre vest with design of birds and clouds

late Edo period (early – mid 19th century) Japan

cotton, paper

Purchased, NGV Asian Art Acquisition Fund, 2014 2014.33

Kyōgen (literally ‘mad words’ or ‘wild speech’) is a form of comic theatre performed during the intervals of Noh theatre plays or as a separate series of comical performances. This kyōgen costume consists of a kataginu vest that is worn over a brightly coloured kimono. The lively design of the kataginu depicts small birds flitting amongst stylised clouds. The yellow-and-green check pattern of the kimono dramatically contrasts with the blue kataginu vest so as to create an eye-catching appearance when worn onstage.


JAPANESE

Tanzen kimono pattern book Tanzen hinagata bon

1704, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

ink on paper, cotton

Purchased with funds donated by Jan Bagley and Bruce Herbes, 2025

New acquisition


JAPANESE

Tanzen kimono pattern book Tanzen hinagata bon

c. 1700, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

ink on paper, cotton

Gift of Michiko Otani, 2025

New acquisition


JAPANESE

Fabric samples
Kirechō

Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

silk, gilt thread

Purchased NGV Asian Art Acquisition Fund, 2014 2014.34

Children’s kimono

Vibrantly decorated kimono are worn by children for special celebrations and festivals. Newborn babies wear ubugi when visiting a shine to pray to the god of birth. Special formal kimono are worn for the Shichi-Go-San festival, when children visit shrines to celebrate their passage into middle childhood during their third, fifth and seventh years. Vibrant themed kimono are worn for Hinamatsuri, or Girls’ Doll Festival, and Tango no sekku, Boys’ Day. Girls’ festive kimono are bright and filled with flowers and nature motifs, while boys’ kimono display symbols of bravery, honour, honesty and filial piety, such as tigers and samurai motifs.


JAPANESE

Boy’s kimono with tigers amongst bamboo

late 19th century – early 20th century Japan

silk

Presented by Peter Chance, 1983 AS5-1983


JAPANESE

Vase with dragon and tiger
Ryūko zu kabin

c. 1880, Meiji period (1868–1912) Japan

enamel on metal (cloisonné)

Purchased, 1890 2089-D1A


JAPANESE

Baby’s ceremonial kimono
Ubugi

1925–35 Japan

silk, cotton

Purchased with funds donated by Berris Aitken, 2023 2023.242

Garments known as ubugi are worn by infants at festivals to mark their birth. This ubugi for a boy depicts the silhouette of a samurai helmet with traditional dolls known as Gosho-ningyo. These dolls were made in Kyoto and take their name from the Kyoto Imperial Palace.

New acquisition


HAMADA Josen

Japanese 1875–1928

Momotaro (Peach Boy) and friends
Momotarō to nakama-tachi

c. 1905 Japan

ink and pigments on silk

Purchased with funds donated by Cecilie Hall, 2025

Momotaro (Peach Boy) is one of Japan’s most popular folk stories, and the title character is regarded as a model of bravery and filial piety for boys. One day, a childless couple found a big peach, and when they cut it open a boy appeared. They named him Momotaro and raised him with care. As he grew up, Momotaro decided to set out on a journey to defeat demons that had been tormenting his village. On his journey he shared his special kibi dango provisions with a dog, a monkey and a pheasant who became his loyal friends. Momotaro successfully defeated the demons and returned to his village a hero.

New acquisition


JAPANESE

Boy’s battle vest with peaches
Momotarō jimbaori

late 18th century – mid 19th century Japan

silk, cotton, metal

Purchased with funds donated by Cecilie Hall, 2025

New acquistion


JAPANESE

Girl’s kimono with chrysanthemums and peonies

c. 1930 Japan

silk

Gift of Pauline Gandel AC, 2025

New acquisition


JAPANESE

Girl’s kimono with flowers, butterflies, pine trees and flowing stream design

c. 1960 Japan

silk

Gift of Pauline Gandel AC, 2025

New acquisition

Fashion in ukiyo-e

During the Edo period (1600–1868) a financially empowered and fashion-conscious society was fascinated by the newest social trends, and prints of beautiful women wearing the latest kimono were created and sold at affordable prices. Woodblock prints were initially black and white, before the gradual use of colour led to the creation of vibrant multicolour nishiki-e prints from 1765. Scenes depicting luxuriantly dressed women at favourite locations or performing popular activities appealed to the sentiments and desires of Edo’s pleasure-seeking public. This era became known as the ‘Golden Age of Ukiyo-e’, with artists such as Utamaro, Shunchō and Eizan producing some of the most skilful and elegant expressions of costume and beauty in the history of Japanese art.


Kitagawa UTAMARO

Japanese 1754–1806

Chrysanthemum festival, 9th September
Kugatsu no kokonoka choyonosekku, gosekku

left panel of a pentaptych, from the Five Festivals series c. 1803

c. 1803, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

ink and colour on paper, woodblock print

Felton Bequest, 1910 536-2


Katsukawa SHUNCHŌ

Japanese 1780–95

Parody of the seven sages of the bamboo grove
Chikurin no shichigen

c. 1788, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

ink and colour on paper, woodblock print

Purchased, 1993 AS32-1993


Kitagawa UTAMARO

Japanese 1754–1806

A selection from Araki’s stock of woven striped goods
Araki shi-ire no ori-shima muki, Natsu ishō tōsei bijin

from the Summer Outfits: Beauties of Today series c. 1804–6

c. 1804–6, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

ink and colour on paper, woodblock print

Felton Bequest, 1910 534-2


Katsukawa SHUNCHŌ

Japanese active 1780–95

Picnic at Oshiage village
Oshiage no mura kōraku

right panel of a triptych

1787–89, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

ink and colour on paper, woodblock print

Felton Bequest, 1909 401-2


Katsukawa SHUNCHŌ

Japanese 1780–95

Evening at the shrine gate
Yoru no torii

c. 1785 Japan

ink and colour on paper, woodblock print

Felton Bequest, 1909 400-2


Kikugawa EIZAN attributed to

Japanese 1787–1867

Autumn moon at Ishiyama
Ishiyama no chūshū no meigetsu

from the Fashionable Beauties for the Eight Views of Ōmi series

c. 1814–17 Japan

ink and colour on paper, woodblock print

Felton Bequest, 1909 404-2


JAPANESE

Wakanoura

late 17th century Japan

six-panel folding screen: ink, gold paint, pigments on gold leaf on paper, lacquer on wood, silk, brass, copper, paper

Purchased with funds donated by Baillieu Myer AC and Sarah Myer, 2022 2022.55.b

Wakanoura Shrine is located on the coastline south of Osaka and is famous for its connection to poetry. This screen depicts visitors disembarking from boats wearing their most gorgeous kimono, approaching the shrine through a torii gate and ascending a set of stairs. In and around the shrine is a vibrant scene of spring festivities that includes an archery competition, people carrying portable shrines, picnickers under cherry blossom trees, a festival kirin lion dog (kirin shishi) performing, and numerous samurai parading with billowing ceremonial horo balloons – fabric devices used for protection against arrows in battle – on their backs.


JAPANESE

Hairpins, combs
Kanzashi, nakazashi, kogai

c. 1920 Japan

lacquer, turtle shell (bekkoh), silver

Gift of Asami Wilson, 2025

Established in about 1900, Yonemoto Shoten was a stationery and personal accessories company specialising in hairpins and kimono accessories. The company operated a store in the centre of Tokyo’s exclusive shopping district Ginza. A third-generation descendant of Yonemoto Shoten’s founders, Asami Wilson inherited these hairpins and combs, as well as the bridal hair adornment on display nearby, from her grandmother and mother. Asami Wilson and her mother wore these objects at their weddings and on special occasions, with Asami bringing them to Melbourne as mementos of her family’s heritage when she immigrated to Australia.

New acquisition


JAPANESE

Purse with rocks and waves
Iwa to nami hakoseko

mid 19th century, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

silk, gilt thread, silk cord, cotton

Proposed acquisition


JAPANESE

Purse with cherry blossom and butterflies
Sakura to chō hakoseko

mid 19th century, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

silk, gilt thread, silk cord, cotton

Proposed acquisition


JAPANESE

Lip-colour case
Itabeni

mid 19th century, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

metal case, silk, metallic thread, cotton (bag)

Gift of Noriaki Kaneko, 2025

New acquisition


JAPANESE

Sandals
Geta

c. 1950s Japan

lacquer on wood, leather, metal, silk, velvet, fur

Gift of Noriaki Kaneko, 2025

New acquisition


JAPANESE

Wedding sandals
Konrei yo pokkuri geta

1900–1930 Japan

lacquer on wood, metal, silk, cotton

Gift of Noriaki Kaneko, 2025

New acquisition


JAPANESE

Sandals
Geta

c. 1950s Japan

wood, bamboo, vinyl, metal, silk, fur

Gift of Noriaki Kaneko, 2025

New acquisition


JAPANESE

Pair of pillows
Takamakura

1880–1910 Japan

lacquer on wood, silk, cotton, metal

Gift of Noriaki Kaneko, 2025

New acquisition


JAPANESE

Hitoe kosode, kimono with themes alluding to eight Noh theatre plays

late Edo period (early – mid 19th century), Japan

gauze satin silk, paste-resist dye, silk, embroidery, gilt thread

Purchased with funds donated by Jennifer Lempriere and Michael Pithie, 2024 2024.94

Hitoe is a light kimono with a lining, worn in spring and autumn. This highly decorated example displays the sophisticated tastes of its wearer, most likely a member of the educated samurai class with a passion for Noh theatre. Pictorial details reference plays: Hachinoki (Potted Trees) is represented by the thatched hut and pine trees in large pots; Kosode Soga is represented by an archer’s hat and arrows; Kakitsubata (Irises) is represented by the zigzag bridge over an iris pond; Shakkyō (Stone Bridge) is represented by peony flowers and a dancing shishi lion dog, and Kogō (The Courtier) is represented by the bamboo garden gate.

New acquisition


JAPANESE

Obi with peonies and butterflies
Botan chō mon obi

mid 19th century, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

silk, gilt thread

Proposed acquisition


JAPANESE

Katabira kosode, summer kimono with shrine scenery

late Edo period (early – mid 19th century) Japan

ramie, resist dyeing, embroidery

Purchased with funds from Esther and David Frenkiel, 2024 2024.93

This katabira lightweight summer kimono for a high-class samurai woman displays a Shinto shrine amongst clouds. Bridges across a flowing river lead to the shine’s torii gate and on to the shrine itself. Throughout the scene, pine trees, maple leaves and cherry blossoms present the changing seasons. Blue decoration on white kimono was popular during the Edo period (1600–1868), with the effect reminiscent of blue-and-white Arita porcelain ware.

New acquisition


JAPANESE

Kimono with frolicking puppies in the snow

1925–35 Japan

silk, cotton

Purchased with funds donated by Berris Aitken, 2023 2023.241

Creatively designed kimono featuring dark backgrounds with traditional, dramatic and playful subjects were popular in the early twentieth century. This kimono displays a theme popular during the Edo period (1600–1868) that resonated with early twentieth-century artists and designers, foreshadowing today’s craze for ‘cute’, or kawaii, found in Japanese pop, manga and otaku culture. The design depicts puppies playing in the falling snow and includes a large circular shape appearing from the shoulder line that represents a traditional snow umbrella or a full moon.


Tanabe CHIKUHOSAI

Japanese 1868–1945

Men’s basket bag and toggle
Teiran to netsuke

c. 1930 Japan

bamboo, gourd, silk, cotton, glass

Gift of Colonel Aubrey H. L. Gibson (Rtd), 1971 AS16-1971


TAKAHASHI Ryoun

Japanese 1900–1935

Puppies
Kushi

c. 1930 Japan

bronze

Purchased with funds donated by Allan Myers AO and Maria Myers AO, 2015 2015.410.a-b


JAPANESE

Kimono with the Heron Maiden

c.1925 Japan

silk, cotton

Purchased with funds donated by Berris Aitken, 2023 2023.240

This kimono is inspired by The Heron Maiden (Sagi Musume), a single-scene kabuki song-and-dance performance. First performed in 1762, it was regularly revived, and during the Taishō period (1912–26) became a popular subject of art and design. In the play, which is based on a ghostly folktale, a young man rescues a wounded white heron that transforms itself into a beautiful woman. He falls in love with her and they marry, but he soon realises that, despite their love, she remains a heron and must disappear forever. This kimono depicts the beautiful young maiden: the white robe is her wedding dress, while the dark obi symbolises death.

New acquisition


SHINZEN Kakukai

Japanese late 18th century – 1830

Skull and goddess of fortune Kichijōten

early 19th century, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

ink and pigments on paper

Felton Bequest, 1991 AS8-1991


JAPANESE

Skeleton and toads, okimono
Gaikutsu kaeru okimono

Meiji period (1868–1912) Japan

ivory, ink

Gift of the Cleland Family in memory of Allan Rex and Joan Muriel Cleland, 2018 2018.1428


JAPANESE

Decorative fabric samples

Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

silk, gilt thread

Purchased, NGV Asian Art Acquisition Fund, 2014 2014.34


JAPANESE

Nagajuban, men’s undergarment with graveyard, skulls and crescent moon

c. 1930 Japan

silk, wool, cotton

Maureen Morrisey Bequest, 2018 2017.1266

Nagajuban (long kimono undergarments) were concealed under outer kimono and often featured designs that revealed the wearer’s secret interests and playful spirit. Skulls in Japanese history are associated with the inevitable fate of humans and the Buddhist cycle of birth, life, death and reincarnation. In a humorous manner, skulls have been a popular motif for men’s garments, paintings and carved items. On this kimono and in the design sample book, we see a graveyard motif with skulls under a crescent moon.


Yōshū CHIKANOBU

Japanese 1838–1912

Kawamata Silk Refining Ltd calendar

1910 Japan

ink and colour on paper, woodblock print

Gift of the Estate of Edna Dorothy Bull (née Stainton) in memory of her grandmother Sarah Matilda Whitbourn, 2022 2022.841

In the early twentieth century, the Deer and Stag Pure Silk Company (Kawamata Kenpu) was one of Japan’s leading textile traders, frequented by foreign cruise-ship passengers visiting Yokohama. Every year the company produced a high-quality twelve-page calendar as a souvenir gift for customers. In 1910 Kawamata commissioned the leading ukiyo-e portrait artist Toyoharu Chikanobu – also known as Yōshū – to produce twelve images of women, each dressed in kimono that match the month and season of the year. Each page is hand-printed in the traditional ukiyo-e manner and includes a machine-printed date chart.

New acquisition


YAMADA Naosaburo, Unsodo publisher

Japanese est. 1891

Tennen Moyo Kagami design sample books

1899 Japan

ink and colour on paper, woodblock-printed books

Proposed acquisition


JAPANESE

Itsukushima

late 17th century Japan

six-panel folding screen: ink, gold paint, pigments on gold leaf on paper, lacquer on wood, silk, brass, copper, paper

Purchased with funds donated by Baillieu Myer AC and Sarah Myer, 2022 2022.55.a

Itsukushima Shrine is located on Miyajima Island in the Inland Sea. When the tide is high, Itsukushima’s torii gate is surrounded by water and visitors pass through it by boat before arriving at a boardwalk raised over the water on stilts. In the screen we see pilgrims wearing splendid kimono promenading along the shrine’s many raised walkways and wealthy patrons being transported in palanquins. Various shops sell tea, umbrellas and kimono fabric, and, to the side of the shrine, grazing under pine trees, are Itsukushima’s iconic deer – the sacred messengers of the gods.

Ingenuity and surprising materials for the working class

Kimono for the working class were created using various materials and remarkable technical ingenuity. In rural areas, some households were so poor that they quilted together scraps and fabric offcuts fabric to create wadded garments. Firefighters became famous for protecting urban dwellers and, at festivals celebrating their bravery, wore decorated cotton or deer-leather coats. The indigenous people of Hokkaido, the Ainu, made ceremonial robes from local elm bark, while humble but practical robes worn by tea practitioners or used as undergarments were made from paper.


JAPANESE

Rag kimono
Boro kimono

Meiji period (1868–1912) Japan

cotton

Purchased, NGV Asian Art Acquisition Fund, 2014 2014.23

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, boro kimono were made from recycled cotton scraps by impoverished Japanese people out of necessity. This example has been made from more than one hundred pieces and consists of resist-dyed, tie-dyed, ikat-dyed and check-woven fabric. Boro textiles are the creations of unknown craftspeople who never intended for them to be viewed as things of beauty. However, in a contemporary context they have a collage-like quality, their spontaneous designs imbued with a life and spirituality of their own.


JAPANESE

Fireman’s coat
Hikeshi-kawabaori

19th century, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

deerskin leather

Purchased, NGV Asian Art Acquisition Fund, 2014 2014.29

Kawabaori were deerskin coats worn by members of firefighting brigades. The motifs and insignia on each coat indicate the wearer’s brigade, helping to identify individuals in the smoke and confusion of a fire. The design was created using a paste-resist technique. The resist was applied to the leather coat using a stencil and the coat then exposed to smoke in a special curing room, infusing the brown colour into the leather.


JAPANESE

Tenjiku Tokubei practices toad magic fireman’s coat
Tenjiku Tokubei gama yōjutsu zu hikeshi sashiko hanten

mid 19th century, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

colour on cotton (sashiko running stich)

Purchased with funds from the Estate of Kevin and Eunice McDonald, 2025

In cities made primarily from wood, Japanese firemen were seen as heroes and protectors of society. As a visual statement of their bravado, brigade leaders would wear han ten (half-lenth coats) often painted with dramatic scenes of historical heroes or mythical stories. Here the seventeenth-century adventurer Tenjiku Tokubei, who later became a popular character in kabuki theatre, sits on a toad’s back, performing the role of a sorcerer who is capable of warding off evil and performing miraculous feats.

New acquisition


JAPANESE, Ainu people

Ainu robe
Ainu attushi

19th century Hokkaido, Japan

elm bark fibre thread, cotton, indigo dyes

Gift of David Bardas in memory of Sandra Bardas OAM through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, 2011 2011.339

The Ainu are the original inhabitants of the northern islands of Japan and far eastern areas of present day Russia. Their most characteristic item of clothing is the attush, made from the fibres of a Japanese elm tree. Historically, attush used for ceremonial purposes were decorated on the collar, sleeves, back and hem with patterns in blue and black appliqué (iechunu) and further embroidered with line work. Geometric designs related to ancestor- and nature-worship – including bear, owl and killer-whale gods – were passed down from generation to generation.


JAPANESE

Paper robe
Kamiko

late 18th century – early 19th century, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

silk, paper

Purchased through The Art Foundation of Victoria, 1994 AS2-1994

Kamiko is the general term for paper clothing, and derives from the words kami (paper) and koromo (garments worn by monks and priests). Such padded garments were also worn by chajin (tea masters) and called chabaori. Kamiko reflect the wabi-sabi aesthetic, being primarily composed of paper, a humble material that displays markings with age. The paper is made from mulberry-tree fibre saturated with vegetable tannin to make it durable and wrinkled to give it softness.

The magic of indigo blue

Some of the most popular and affectionately loved garments of the working class feature dyed motifs in deep indigo blue, a colour derived from the leaves of the indigo plant. In a seemingly magical process, cloth is immersed in a vat of indigo dye and only becomes blue when raised into the air to oxidise. Successive dyeing and airing produce increasingly deeper shades of blue. Popular techniques used for indigo dyeing include tie-dye shibori, stencil resist-paste katazome and resist-paste drawing yuzen. Lightweight indigo-blue-and-white yukata worn for festive occasions during the summer months feature dynamic designs of flowers, animals and Japanese folklore, which were associated with good fortune and served as talismans against evil spirits.


JAPANESE

Summer kimono with flowers of the four seasons
Shiki no hana yukata

Meiji period (1868–1912) Japan

cotton, resist-dyeing (tsutsugaki yuzen)

Purchased with funds donated by the Hon. Michael Watt QC and Cecilie Hall, 2013 2013.696

This yukata was created using a traditional Japanese tsutsugaki yuzen resist-dyeing technique, in which a glutinous mix of rice flour and water is applied to the cotton fabric using a tool with a nozzle, similar to a cake-icing bag. Featured here are more than ten different types of flowers, including hydrangeas, clematises, chrysanthemums, wisteria, irises, peonies, plum blossoms, lilies, bush clovers and bell flowers.


JAPANESE

Indigo summer kimono with geese and reeds
Rogan moyō yukata

Meiji period (1868–1912) Japan

cotton, stencil-resist dyeing (katazome yuzen)

Purchased with funds donated by The Late Hon. Michael Watt KC and Cecilie Hall, 2023 2023.245

New acquisition


JAPANESE

Indigo futon kimono with fuji crest and clematis flowers
Fuji mon tessen yogi

1920s, Taishō period (1868–1912) Japan

cotton, resist-dyeing (tsutsugaki yuzen)

Purchased with funds donated by The Late Hon. Michael Watt KC and Cecilie Hall, 2023 2023.187

New acquisition


JAPANESE

Indigo summer kimono with tigers
Tora moyō yukata

Meiji period (1868–1912) Japan

cotton, stencil-resist dyeing (katazome yuzen)

Purchased with funds donated by The Late Hon. Michael Watt KC and Cecilie Hall, 2023 2023.246

New acquisition


JAPANESE

Summer kimono with frogs and willow tree Yanagi to kairu yukata

Meiji period (1868–1912) Japan

cotton, tie-dye (Arimatsu shibori)

Purchased with funds donated by Jan Bagley and Bruce Herbes, 2025

The features on this yukata were created using several different shibori techniques. The leaf interiors were made using kamiate shibori, in which paper is stitched or glued onto the fabric. Lines of stitching known as ori-nui shibori have been gathered to create the outlines of the leaves, frogs and water. The neck area was created using mino (straw rain cape) shibori, in which the cloth is pulled on a hook, folded and bound. The design references a story associated with Ono no Michikaze (894–966), a renowned calligrapher and statesman who was inspired to persevere in the face of challenges after watching a frog repeatedly try to jump onto a willow branch before finally succeeding.

New acquisition


A fashion and passion for blue

The people of Japan’s Edo period (1600–1868) eagerly awaited the publication of new woodblock prints featuring the latest fashions and beautiful, idealised women. The public had an established passion for the colours of blue and white, which can also be seen in Japanese indigo-dyed clothing and porcelain. The introduction of imported Prussian-blue pigment by Dutch traders in the late eighteenth century appealed greatly to the Japanese love for the latest products and imported luxuries. Woodblock prints that featured or exclusively used this new pigment in various shades were known as aizuri-e and before long captured the public’s imagination, becoming bestsellers at print shops throughout the country.


Utagawa TOYOKUNI II

Japanese 1777–1835

Cherry blossom
Sakura

from the Modern Beauties Complementing Flowers of the Four Seasons series c. 1826

Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

ink and colour on paper, woodblock print

Felton Bequest, 1909 440.1-2


Utagawa TOYOKUNI II

Japanese 1777–1835

Bell flowers
Kikyō

from the Modern Beauties Complementing Flowers of the Four Seasons series c. 1826

Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

ink and colour on paper, woodblock print

Felton Bequest, 1909 440.2-2


Utagawa TOYOKUNI II

Japanese 1777–1835

Chrysanthemums
Kiku

from the Modern Beauties Complementing Flowers of the Four Seasons series c. 1826

Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

ink and colour on paper, woodblock print

Felton Bequest, 1909 440.3-2


Utagawa TOYOKUNI II

Japanese 1777–1835

Plum blossom
Ume

from the Modern Beauties Complementing Flowers of the Four Seasons series c. 1826

Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

ink and colour on paper, woodblock print

Felton Bequest, 1909 440.4-2


Utagawa KUNISADA II

Japanese 1823–80

The kabuki play ‘Musume hyoban zen’aku kagami’
Shojo hyōban zen’aku kagami Hatsuse chimata shōtaku no ba

1865 Japan

ink and colour on paper, woodblock print

Bequest of Judith Anne Gardiner, 2022 2022.561


Elizabeth KEITH

Scottish 1887–1956, worked in Japan 1915–24

Blue and white
Ai to shiro

1925 Japan

ink and colour on paper, woodblock print

edition of 100

Purchased with funds donated by an anonymous donor, 2020 2020.224

Scottish artist Elizabeth Keith spent several years developing this work during her decade living in Japan. A celebration of the Japanese love for the colour blue, the work pays homage to the country’s artistic traditions. The primarily blue colour scheme is a reference to Edo-period aizuri-e woodblock prints. The central figure wears a blue-and-white yukata (summer kimono) while browsing a selection of sometsuke (blue-and-white porcelain). Katsushika Hokusai’s masterpiece The great wave off Kanagawa, c. 1830, hangs in the shop window. The shopfront features indigo-dyed noren curtains and the shopkeeper wears an indigo coat and apron while attending to blue morning glory flowers.

Photography - kimono for posterity

Following the introduction of photography to Japan in the mid nineteenth century, photographers such as Felice Beato, Baron Raimund von Stillfried and Kusakabe Kimbei recorded Japanese society in deluxe photographic albums featuring portraiture, idyllic locations and city life. Between the 1880s and the 1930s, photographic studios flourished throughout the country. Inexpensive portraits of popular personalities were produced in large numbers as pocket-sized prints and postcards. During this era, photography also became affordable to the burgeoning middle classes, and portrait studios became commonplace in towns and even department stores. Customers could record themselves and their loved ones wearing their best and most treasured kimono for posterity.


The art of kimono

The history of kimono production encompasses a vast range of decoration techniques and fabric-production methods. Featuring kimono from the exhibition, this presentation celebrates the artistic accomplishments and technical skills – many of which are no longer practised – of anonymous textile artisans. Techniques include loom-weaving; silk and gilt-thread embroidery; tie-dyeing shibori; resist-paste dyeing with stencils, known as katazome yuzen; resist-paste dyeing from a tube and nozzle, or tsutsugaki yuzen; stencil-printed and machine-woven ikat meisen; marbling suminagashi on silk; and wadding cotton fabric offcuts, or boro sashiko. Also highlighted are detailed insights into the intricacies of wearing a kimono, obi sash and accessories, a practice handed down from generation to generation to this day.


Kimono in the modern age

During the 1920 and 1930s, the bustling streets of Japanese cities were filled with glamorous department stores, fashionable cafes, popular movie theatres, swinging dance halls and high-tech transportation, catering to a new generation of confident and financially liberated youth. Playfully known as moga and mobo – modern girls and modern boys – this new generation represented the arrival of modernity in Asia, energising Japanese fashion and innovation.

Moga became important to the new Japanese economy, not only as workers but also as active consumers of products, services and entertainment. For these young women, a favourite activity and symbol of their independence was to choose, buy and wear their own clothing and accessories. Sentimental towards Japanese culture, many moga actively acquired new styles of vibrantly patterned kimono and obi waist sashes, matching them with Western- and Eastern-inspired accessories to create inventive new looks.

Mobo were described as having an international outlook while also being loyal Japanese citizens. During the working day these young men wore Western-style suits and hats; however, for social gatherings and formal occasions, many favoured kimono. While mobo wore plain, dark-coloured outer attire, their kimono undergarments and the inner lining of their coats revealed the wearer’s personality and interests through modern, playful designs.


JAPANESE

Fabric sample with university baseball motif

c. 1930 Japan

silk, cotton

Maureen Morrisey Bequest, 2018 2017.1273

Omoshirogara (interesting or amusing designs) portrayed the fads, fashions, popular events and technological advances of the times. They were illustrated on the haura interlining of haori coats and on nagajuban (long kimono undergarments). These omoshirogara portray literature, popular music, children’s games and toys, and entertainment such as film and kamishibai storytelling. Popular sport also featured, such as Japan’s success at the 1928 Winter Olympic Games and the university baseball league, with the letters W, K and H representing Waseda, Keio and Hosei universities.


JAPANESE

Men’s jacket (haori) with baseball team

c. 1930 Japan

silk, cotton

Maureen Morrisey Bequest, 2018 2017.1268

In the 1920s and 1930s, sport represented a healthy and important leisure activity for a modern and progressive nation. Sports that had been unknown in traditional Japan, such as baseball, tennis, athletics, golf, rugby and skiing, captured the public’s imagination and became closely associated with a modern, fashionable lifestyle. Baseball became particularly popular thanks to the great rivalry between university teams, the establishment of a professional league in the 1920s, and in 1934 a tour of an American allstar team that included professional player Babe Ruth.


JAPANESE

Women’s kimono with spiral and stripe design and accessories

c. 1930 Japan

silk, cotton, rattan bamboo, enamel, plastic and metal (meisen textile)

Purchased NGV Foundation, 2016 2016.110

This outfit for a spring or summer daytime outing features a large rattan and bamboo picnic basket, a fabric headband with delicate artificial flowers, imitation pearl and diamond hairpins, a refined enamel lotus flower obi brooch, and a pair of metallic-thread cloth flat zōri sandals, which lack the platform of geta sandals. The obi sash displays the popular amusement of moga and mobo ballroom dancing and alludes to the international atmosphere of the dance-class scene, as described in Jun’ichirō Tanizaki’s popular novel Naomi (1923–24), a story about a quintessential moga.


JAPANESE

Women’s kimono with stylised chrysanthemum design and accessories

c. 1930 Japan

silk, cotton, rush grass, wood, bamboo, plastic, bakelite and metal (meisen textile)

Purchased, NGV Supporters of Asian Art, 2016 2016.109

Created especially for the NGV Collection, this kimono was tailored in Japan from an unused bolt of 1930s Japanese meisen fabric. Its vibrant stylised chrysanthemum motif resembles fireworks, or hanabi, a Japanese word that means ‘fire flowers’.Traditional Japanese attire did not include necklaces, rings, bracelets or chest brooches. Rather, accessories included kanzashi hairpins and an obidome brooch that secured the obi waist sash. Historically, these items were produced from gold, jade, ivory and turtle shell. During the modernist era in the twentieth century, new materials such as bakelite plastic were used to make these beautiful accessories at affordable prices.


JAPANESE

Women’s kimono with thistle and check design and accessories

c. 1930 Japan

silk, cotton, rush grass, straw, wood, vinyl, plastic and metal (meisen textile)

Purchased with funds donated by Allan Myers AC and Maria Myers AC, 2016 2016.112

This outfit shows the influences of international trends that became popular fashion accessories amongst moga (modern girls) during the 1920s. The rush grass summer cloche hat follows the design often attributed to Parisian milliner Caroline Reboux. Beaded handbags, sometimes referred to as ‘flapper bags’, were originally designed to complement the beaded, tasselled flapper dresses of the 1920s. The exquisite hand-woven example here displays a waterlily, a recognised symbol of Asia. The fine craftsmanship and presentation in relief would have made it a treasured item in any moga’s wardrobe.


JAPANESE

Men’s undergarment (nagajuban) with ships, cars and planes

c. 1930 Japan

silk, cotton

Maureen Morrisey Bequest, 2018 2017.1260

Nagajuban (long kimono undergarments) were often covered with lively repeating patterns known as omoshirogara (interesting or amusing designs) featuring cars, boats and planes, or the latest sports craze, such as tennis, golf and athletics. Similarly, haori coats were dark and plain on the outside, but concealed sophisticated illustrations on the haura interlining. These often gave insight into the wearer’s interests and the dramatic transformations that Japan had experienced over the previous fifty years. To present the haura designs in full, the haori in this exhibition are displayed inside-out.


JAPANESE

Fabric sample with scooters

c. 1930 Japan

silk, cotton

Maureen Morrisey Bequest, 2018 2017.1275


JAPANESE

Fabric sample with Winter Olympics motif

c. 1930 Japan

silk, cotton

Maureen Morrisey Bequest, 2018 2017.1274

Omoshirogara (interesting or amusing designs) portrayed the fads, fashions, popular events and technological advances of the times. They were illustrated on the haura interlining of haori coats and on nagajuban (long kimono undergarments). These omoshirogara portray literature, popular music, children’s games and toys, and entertainment such as film and kamishibai storytelling. News stories and popular sport also featured, such as Japan’s success at the 1928 Winter Olympic Games and the university baseball league, with the letters W, K and H representing Waseda, Keio and Hosei universities. Until the 1937 Hindenburg disaster, Zeppelin airships represented the luxury and excitement of world travel.


Women’s kimono with marbling and chrysanthemum design and obi with Egyptian-inspired designs

c. 1930 Japan

silk, cotton, bakelite (marbling and yuzen textile)

Purchased, NGV Supporters of Asian Art, 2016 2016.111


JAPANESE

Women’s kimono with geometric design and obi

c. 1930 Japan

silk, cotton, plastic (meisen textile)

Purchased with funds donated by Allan Myers AC and Maria Myers AC, 2016 2016.108


JAPANESE

Fabric sample with zeppelins

c. 1930 Japan

silk, cotton

Maureen Morrisey Bequest, 2018 2017.1277


JAPANESE

Men’s jacket (haori) with modern cityscape and Mount Fuji travel scene

c. 1930 Japan

silk, cotton

Gift of Ian and Barbara Carroll, 2016 2016.142

A popular design for haura jacket interlinings and nagajuban undergarments was to dramatically divide the composition diagonally to contrast scenes of traditional and modern Japan. A nostalgic scene of olden-day travellers camping at the foot of Mount Fuji is here juxtaposed with a cityscape that celebrates Japan’s modernity, featuring biplanes flying over an idealised Tokyo skyline with New York–inspired skyscrapers. On another coat samurai on horseback gallop across a battlefield alongside contemporary warriors in modern tanks.


JAPANESE

Men’s jacket (haori) with cityscape and samurai film set

c. 1930 Japan

silk, cotton

Maureen Morrisey Bequest, 2018 2017.1261

Japanese cinema was particularly productive during the 1920s and 1930s, with 562 films produced in 1937 alone. Many of these films were lost during the Second World War: of the 1249 films produced by the leading Japanese film studio Shochiku between 1920 and 1936, only fifty remain. Cinema motifs on textiles displayed both traditional and contemporary film scenes, with this dramatic example illustrating a samurai-period film set alongside a modern cityscape featuring trams and cars.


JAPANESE

Men’s jacket (haori) with world globe, ships and planes

c. 1930 Japan

silk, cotton

Maureen Morrisey Bequest, 2018 2017.1269


JAPANESE

Men’s jacket (haori) with samurai on horseback and tanks

c. 1930 Japan

silk, cotton

Maureen Morrisey Bequest, 2018 2017.1270


JAPANESE

Fabric sample with horse riders, bicyclists, toy trains, cars and planes

c. 1930 Japan

silk, cotton

Maureen Morrisey Bequest, 2018 2017.1276


JAPANESE

Men’s jacket (haori) with modernist motif, Mount Fuji, map and pen

c. 1930 Japan

silk, cotton

Maureen Morrisey Bequest, 2018 2017.1271


JAPANESE

Fabric sample with film projector and boys

c. 1930 Japan

silk, cotton

Maureen Morrisey Bequest, 2018 2017.1272


Shin-hanga

As photography in Japan became increasingly popular during the late nineteenth century, the traditional art of woodblock printing began to decline. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, artists Itō Shinsui, Kobayakawa Kiyoshi and Yamakawa Shūhō worked with the publisher Watanabe Shōzaburō to become leaders of the shin-hanga (new prints) movement, which revitalised the refined ukiyo-e print techniques of the Edo period (1600–1868). Shin-hanga furthered the genre of bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful people), established by the late eighteenth-century masters Kitagawa Utamaro and Torii Kiyonaga, by featuring women of the modern era wearing modern kimono designs.


KOBAYAKAWA Kiyoshi

Japanese 1897–1948

Rouge, no: 6

from the Woman’s Manners of Today series

1936

ink and colour on paper, woodblock print

Purchased with funds donated by Allan Myers AO and Maria Myers AO, 2015 2015.409


Itō SHINSUI

Japanese 1898–1972

Backstage

1955 Japan

ink and colour on paper, woodblock print

Purchased with funds donated by Allan Myers AO and Maria Myers AO, 2015 2015.413


Itō SHINSUI

Japanese 1898–1972

Freshly washed hair
Arai gami

1936 Japan

ink and colour on paper, woodblock print

Purchased with funds donated by Allan Myers AO and Maria Myers AO, 2015 2015.191


Mitsukoshi kimono store

During the early twentieth century, Mitsukoshi department store epitomised modern Japanese lifestyle and the latest fashion. Founded as kimono seller Echigoya in 1673, Mitsukoshi became the first department store in Japan in 1904, styling itself as the ‘Harrods of the Orient’. To celebrate the opening of its new building in 1914, leading Japanese graphic designer Sugiura Hisui designed the iconic Art Nouveau–style poster Spring kimono collection. In 1923 Mitsukoshi closed for major reconstruction following damage caused by the Great Kantō earthquake. The Art Deco–style poster announcing the building’s ‘Completion of recovery construction, opening 7 April’ was designed by one of Sugiura’s students, Koike Iwao.


SUGIURA Hisui

Japanese 1876–1965

Mitsukoshi department store, spring kimono collection Mitsukoshi gofukuten haru no shingara chinretsu-kai

1914, Taishō period (1912–26) Japan

poster: colour lithograph

Proposed acquisition


KOIKE Iwao

Japanese 1902–79

Tokyo Mitsukoshi kimono store
Tōkyō Mitsukoshi gofuku-ten

1927, Shōwa period (1926–89) Japan

poster: colour lithograph

Purchased NGV Foundation, 2018 2018.1507


Fashion and travel

This pair of prints was a collaborative project between artists Itō Shinsui and Yamakawa Shūhō, commissioned by the Japanese Tourist Association in 1942 to celebrate seventy years of rail travel in Japan. Shinbashi Station seventy years ago features an 1872 scene in front of Tokyo’s Shinbashi Station as it would have appeared at the opening of Japan’s first railway line between Yokohama and Tokyo. Tokyo Station at present depicts Tokyo Station (still extant today) in a 1942 setting. The prints contrast the fashion, street life and architecture of a rapidly modernising Japan.


Itō SHINSUI

Japanese 1898–1972

Shinbashi Station seventy years ago
Nanajyūnen mae no Shinbashi eki

1942 Japan

ink and colour on paper, woodblock print

Purchased, NGV Asian Art Acquisition Fund, 2014


Yamakawa SHŪHŌ

Japanese 1898–1944

Tokyo station at present
Genzai no Tōkyō eki

1942 Japan

ink and colour on paper, woodblock print

Purchased, NGV Asian Art Acquisition Fund, 2014 2014.25.2


JAPANESE

Miyuki Seru kimono

c. 1935

poster: colour lithograph

Purchased with funds donated by Baillieu Myer AC and Sarah Myer, 2025

During the opening decades of the twentieth century, new fabrics were produced from machine-woven wool and low-grade silk. These industrially produced fabrics were used with recently developed dyeing techniques like meisen (stencil-dyed kasuri ikat) and machine-woven check designs to produce affordable kimono for Japan’s newly financially empowered working women. Miyuki Seru was a company that produced popular modern check designs from colourful machine-spun and woven wool.

New acquisition

Images of the kimono in European art

Over the centuries, the name ‘Japan’ conjured exotic imagery and elaborate decoration in the minds of Europeans. Although he travelled no further east than China, thirteenth-century Venetian explorer Marco Polo described Japan as a land of gold and pearls. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch traders and missionaries reported Japan’s wealth in precious metals, its skilled craftsmanship and the beauty of its artistic objects.

Some of the earliest images of Japan and Japanese costume to arrive in Europe were illustrations on Imari porcelain ware from the 1650s. These items initiated a collecting boom amongst the European aristocracy for decorated Japanese porcelain. Before long European factories like Meissen Porcelain Manufactory in Germany and Bow Porcelain Works in England were imitating popular Japanese motifs and decorating their porcelain wares with kimono-costumed figures and idealised Japanese landscapes.

The global fascination with all things Japanese reached its peak during the second half of the nineteenth century, when French art critic Philippe Burty coined the term ‘Japonisme’ in 1872. During this time, vast quantities of Japanese items of all kinds were exported and presented at international exhibitions. Japonisme captures the significant influence such objects had on art, design and culture across Europe, North America and Australia.


Maw & Co, Broseley, Shropshire manufacturer

English 1850–1970

Set of tiles

c. 1880 England

earthenware

Presented by Ms. Jenny Buch, 1992 D6A-1992 D6B-1992D6C-1992


Satsuma ware

Deriving its title from the southern Japanese province of the same name, Satsuma ware is best known as cream-coloured, crackled-glaze earthenware with elaborate polychrome and gold decoration. In 1867 Satsuma province’s powerful Shimazu clan independently entered some pieces of Satsuma ware in the Paris Exhibition Universelle. Due to their brightly glazed colours, fine ornamentation and exotic subject matter, the works were received with great enthusiasm. From this time through to the early twentieth century, the Japanese Meiji government participated in international exhibitions across Europe, America and Australia, showcasing Satsuma ware, ivory okimono carvings and silk garments as cultural objects and major export commodities.


SEIKOZAN

Japanese active late 19th century – early 20th century

Bowl

late 19th century – mid 20th century Japan

earthenware, gilt, enamel (Kyo Satsuma ware)

Gift of Brenda Strang Mouritz, 2010 2010.491


SHIROYAMA

Japanese active late 19th century

Bowl

late 19th century, Meiji period (1868–1912) Japan

earthenware, enamels, gilt (Satsuma ware)

Gift of Miss G. Hay-Hendry, 1961 354-D5


JAPANESE

Bowl

c. 1925 Japan

earthenware, gilt, enamel (Satsuma ware)

Bequest of Geoffrey Ernest Sargant, 2000 2000.262


Okimono

Okimono are small sculptures depicting a range of subjects, including animals, popular fables, mythological characters and scenes of daily life. They developed out of the craft of netsuke, miniature sculptural toggles used to secure an inrō (small pouch) to a man’s obi waist sash. With the influx of Western clothing during the Meiji period (1868–1912), traditional Japanese dress became outdated and netsuke no longer served a practical purpose. Recognising the uniqueness of the craft, netsuke artisans with decades of experience creating finely honed ivory carvings turned their attention to the international market, and began producing elaborate ornamental figurines for export and for Western visitors to Japan.


JAPANESE

Woman with gourd, okimono
Bijin to hyōtan okimono

Meiji period (1868–1912) Japan

ivory, ink

Gift of the Cleland Family in memory of Allan Rex and Joan Muriel Cleland, 2018 2018.1419


JAPANESE

Mother with child, okimono
Haha to ko okimono

Meiji period (1868–1912) Japan

ivory, ink

Gift of the Cleland Family in memory of Allan Rex and Joan Muriel Cleland, 2018 2018.1418


JAPANESE

Woman with peonies, okimono
Bijin to botan okimono

Meiji period (1868–1912) Japan

ivory, ink

Gift of the Cleland Family in memory of Allan Rex and Joan Muriel Cleland, 2018 2018.1420


Ivory

Historically, ivory was valued as an art material due to its natural beauty and association with the majestic elephant. However, due to the cruelty involved in ivory harvesting and its devastating impact on the international elephant population, its use is no longer condoned. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) intergovernmental agreement effectively banned the international commercial ivory trade in 1989, and Australian regulations prohibit the domestic trade of ivory objects produced after 1975. These carved ivory figures were produced prior to 1920 and have been included in this display due to their historic and cultural significance, and as examples of their creators’ fine artisanship.

The kimono and Impressionism

During the height of the late nineteenth-century Japonisme movement, paintings of European women dressed in kimono were popular subjects with the French Impressionists and international painters working in the Parisian sphere of influence. The kimono was a sign of fashionable good taste, with Japanese textiles and costume being essential items in chic European wardrobes of the period.

The English artist Philip Wilson Steer’s 1896 painting The Japanese gown takes the kimono out of its traditional Japanese context and presents it casually draped as an exotic garment, worn sensually by a woman standing in a boudoir. Steer’s colourful palette and his painterly, fractured brushstrokes reveal the influences of Impressionism, which he had absorbed while studying art in Paris.

The Australian artist John Longstaff’s Lady in grey, 1890, depicts his wife, Rosa Louisa (Topsy) Crocker, formally dressed in a luxuriant silk kimono with tied obi sash. The work was Longstaff’s first Parisian success and was exhibited at the 1890 Paris Salon.


Philip WILSON STEER

English 1860–1942

The Japanese gown

1896

oil on canvas

Felton Bequest, 1906 264-2


John LONGSTAFF

Australian 1861–1941, lived in Europe 1890–95, 1901–20

Lady in grey

1890 Paris, France

oil on canvas

Gift of Mr John H. Connell, 1914 657-2


Bow Porcelain Works, London manufacturer

English est. c. 1748–76

Vase

c. 1755–60 London, England

porcelain (soft-paste)

Felton Bequest, 1940 4725-D3


Meissen Porcelain Factory, Meissen manufacturer

German est. 1710

Tea canister

c. 1730 Meissen, Germany

porcelain (hard-paste)

Felton Bequest, 1939 4556.a-b-D3


Minton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire manufacturer

English est. 1793

Louis MALPASS decorator

French active 1870s–90s

Paul Blot Studio, Paris commissioning workshop

French active 1870s–90s

Plate

1880s

porcelain (bone china)

The Dr Robert Wilson Collection. Gift of Dr Robert Wilson through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, 2013 2013.748


JAPANESE

Kimono with sparrows and flowers

1910–20 Japan

silk, silk thread

Gift of Phil Lukies, 2025

New acquisition


JAPANESE

Kimono with wisteria

1910–20 Japan

silk, silk thread

Purchased NGV Foundation, 2021 2021.294.a-b

During the late nineteenth century, silk and embroidered silk garments became major Japanese export commodities. The broader awareness of these kimono-style garments coincided with shifting notions of femininity, form and comfort in European women’s fashion. Responding to the concurrent Japan-influenced Japonisme movement in European art and design, Japanese textile workshops began to subtly adapt garments to suit the tastes of the Western market. These silk and embroided Japanese export garments are broadly based on traditional kimono. They are designed to be loosely worn and secured with an easy-to-tie tasselled waist sash in place of an obi sash.

New acquisition

Japanese influence on Western fashion

Although Japan had opened its ports to international trade in the 1850s, it was not until the 1867 Exposition Universelle in Paris, where Japanese textiles, prints and interiors were on display, that the kimono became a fashionable accoutrement outside of Japan. Following this, Western designers adapted and adopted the kimono’s cut, incorporating stylistic details such as wide sleeves, wrap-front fastenings, and richly woven and patterned silks.

By the late nineteenth century, London’s Liberty & Co department store had become known for its imported ‘Eastern’ goods, which included items from India and Persia, as well as Japanese furniture, ceramics, fabrics and fashions. Buyers found similarities to the well-crafted decorative traditions of the British Arts and Crafts movement, whose goods Liberty & Co also sold. Concurrently, in Japan, large numbers of kimono and kimono-style gowns were also made locally for export. These differed from local Japanese kimono, instead featuring designs responding to contemporary European tastes.

In the context of the Victorian dress reform movement, which promoted comfort, freedom of movement and less constrictive garments, the kimono was seen as a desirable silhouette. Into the twentieth century, the kimono became a reference point for the work of designers such as Paul Poiret and Madeleine Vionnet. During the postwar period, designers recognised the kimono’s modernity and versatility, and over time its influence became more nuanced, concerned with innovation and subverting Western traditions.


Liberty & Co, London manufacturer and retailer

est. 1875

Coat

c. 1910

silk (satin, thread), paint, glass (beads)

Gift of Krystyna Campbell-Pretty AM and Family through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gift Program, 2018 2018.1605

British company Liberty & Co was a leading source for decorative arts and design at the height of Aestheticism, an artistic movement that valued ‘art for art’s sake’ – beauty over function. A department store as well as a manufacturer, Liberty was also a popular shopping destination. The clothing department was established in 1884 to promote the use of the company’s textiles to dressmakers. This sumptuous silk opera coat highlights the influence of Japanese art on Western culture during the early twentieth century. The drapery, hand-painted details and ‘tree of life’ embroidery reference the form and iconography of the kimono. At the time, Liberty stores also stocked Japanese antique homewares and kimonos alongside the company’s contemporary designs.


Paul Poiret, Paris couture house (attributed to)

1903–29

Paul POIRET designer (attributed to)

French 1879–1944

Day coat

1921

spring–summer 1921

wool, silk (satin, embroidery thread)

Purchased with funds donated by Mrs Krystyna Campbell-Pretty in memory of Mr Harold Campbell-Pretty, 2015 2015.678

Known as the ‘King of Fashion’ in America and ‘Le Magnifique’ in France, Paul Poiret was central to the development of modern fashion in the early twentieth century. His vision of radical simplicity transformed the prevailing silhouette of the time by renouncing heavily structured garments in favour of loose drapery and Neoclassical lines. Poiret began experimenting with form to produce new garment types, including kimono coats, hobble skirts and chemise dresses that liberated women from constricting layers of undergarments. This coat from 1921 reflects Poiret’s Orientalist visions of the 1910s–20s; however, it was in 1908 that he first introduced the kimono style.


Callot Soeurs, Paris couture house

1895–1937

Marie CALLOT GERBER designer

French c. 1870–1927

Evening coat

c. 1924

silk lamé

Purchased through The Art Foundation of Victoria with the assistance of David Syme & Co. Limited, Fellow, 1979 D16-1979

Callot Soeurs was a Parisian couture house run by three sisters, Marie Callot Gerber, who led the design, Marthe Callot, later Madame Bertrand, and Regine Callot, later Madame Chantrell. Established in 1895, the house quickly became known for its quality fabrics and artisanal craftsmanship. Classical and Orientalist silhouettes, motifs and palettes influenced Callot Soeurs’ approach, as demonstrated by the garments it presented at the 1925 Paris Exposition. The loose-fitting silhouette and drop-shoulder sleeve of this coat reference the kimono cut, combined with a modern approach to colour.


Zambesi, Auckland fashion house

est. 1979

Elisabeth FINDLAY designer

Greece born 1948, worked in New Zealand 1951–

Outfit

2000

spring–summer 2000

printed silk, cotton, plastic, wool, plastic, metal

Purchased NGV Foundation, 2010 2010.528.a-c

New Zealand fashion label Zambesi’s approach to design is influenced by a self-referential practice, history and memory. Epitomising the designer’s interest in the juxtaposition of hard and soft, the tailored aspects of this work contrast with the softly draped elements. Featuring a kimono coat with painterly daisies and chrysanthemums, this outfit demonstrates the kimono’s enduring influence. However, rather than directly referencing Japan, it echoes twentieth-century European adaptions of the kimono.


Yohji Yamamoto, Tokyo fashion house

est. 1972

Yohji YAMAMOTO designer

Japanese born 1943

Kimono coat

2015

autumn–winter 2015–16

wool, cupro

Purchased, NGV Supporters of Fashion and Textiles, 2021 2021.118

A seminal figure in Japanese fashion, Yohji Yamamoto first studied law before completing fashion design studies at the Bunka Fashion college, Tokyo. In 1981 he made his Paris Fashion Week debut alongside Comme des Garçons founder Rei Kawakubo, where he showcased his early avant-garde aesthetic. For his 2015 autumn–winter collection, Yamamoto investigated the ancient Greek idea that a draped piece of fabric can be simultaneously a complete and an incomplete garment. This sentiment is echoed in Kimono coat, in which Yamamoto softens the kimono’s rigidity, turning the form into an open overcoat with hood. Its vibrant lining links to symbolism associated with red, a colour often seen at Shinto shrines, which, in addition to warding off bad omens, represents the sun and life.


SAITO Fumiko

Japanese 1909–71

Wedding kimono with cranes

1965 Kyoto, Japan

silk

Gift of Michiko Tsui and her sisters in memory of their mother, Saito Fumiko, 2025

Practising embroidery from a young age, Saito Fumiko became a leading Kyoto embroiderer and was commissioned to decorate the imperial crown princess Michiko Shōda’s engagement kimono in 1958. In 1965 Saito created this wedding kimono for her three daughters. It features the quintessential wedding kimono motif of flying cranes, symbolising good luck, longevity and peace. Saito’s two eldest daughters wore the kimono at their weddings, before her youngest daughter, Michiko Tsui (nee Saito), brought it to Melbourne when she immigrated to Australia, as a memory of her mother’s great skills and affection for her daughters.

New acquisition


RIUSAI

Japanese active 19th century

Inrō with one thousand crane design
Senbazuru inrō

19th century, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

ivory, silk

Netsuke of immortal Sennin netsuke

19th century, Edo period (1600–1868) Japan

ivory

Gift of Mr Geoffrey Innes in memory of Mr Guy Innes, 1960 133-D5


Akira, Sydney fashion house

est. 1993

Akira ISOGAWA designer

Japanese born 1964, Australia 1986–

Beaded dress

2001

spring–summer 1998–99

cotton (calico, wadding, thread), beading, silk (habotai)

Purchased, 2001 2001.827.2

In 1986 Japanese-born Akira Isogawa immigrated to Australia, where he studied fashion design before opening his first store in 1993. Isogawa’s work is strongly influenced by Japanese culture, which can be seen in his layered aesthetic using contrasting fabrics and colours. These two works formed part of a larger installation that Isogawa created for the 2001 Desire exhibition, held at Melbourne’s RMIT Gallery. They reflect the designer’s reverence for traditional Japanese motifs and textiles. Isogawa has stated that, by displaying the works alongside their inspiration, a 1940s Japanese wedding kimono, he sought ‘to demonstrate the creative process/transformation from any object to a finished ready-to-wear garment’.


SERIZAWA Keisuke

Japanese 1895–1984

Kimono with pattern imitating glaze dripping down the side of a jar
Kamedare mon kimono

1961 Japan

stencil-dyed banana-bark cloth (abaca)

Purchased with funds donated by Allan Myers AO and Maria Myers AO, 2015 2015.408

Serizawa Keisuke is one of the most important Japanese textile artists of the twentieth century, and a leading member of the Mingei arts and crafts movement founded by Yanagi Sōetsu in the 1930s. Serizawa is celebrated for his use of the kataezome (stencil-dyeing) technique applied to an Okinawan-style fabric made from abaca banana-leaf fibre. The dynamic pattern on this work was produced using two stencils and four colours. The inspiration for the simple shapes is glaze dripping down the side of a ceramic jar – a feature of historical wabi-sabi-style ceramics. In 1956 Keisuke was designated as a Living National Treasure by the Japanese government.

Living National Treasures

Living National Treasure (Ningen Kokuhō) refers to individuals recognised for their outstanding skills in traditional arts and crafts, and for their dedication to preserving and transmitting these skills to future generations. Designated ‘Preservers of important intangible cultural properties’ by the Japanese government, these individuals are highly respected and play a crucial role in safeguarding Japan’s rich cultural heritage. Prominent areas of recognition include textiles, ceramics, metalwork, lacquer ware, doll-making, and wood and bamboo crafts.

Serizawa Keisuke is one of the most important Japanese textile artists of the twentieth century, and a leading member of the Mingei arts and crafts movement founded by Yanagi Sōetsu in the 1930s. Serizawa is celebrated for his use of the kataezome (stencil-dyeing) technique applied to an Okinawan-style fabric made from abaca banana-leaf fibre. The dynamic pattern on this work was produced using two stencils and four colours. The inspiration for the simple shapes is glaze dripping down the side of a ceramic jar – a feature of historical wabi-sabi-style ceramics. In 1956 Keisuke was designated as a Living National Treasure by the Japanese government.


SHIMURA Fukumi

Japanese born 1924

Bride, kimono
Hanayome

2023 Japan

silk, dyes extracted from brazilwood, safflower, madder, purple gromwell root, harlequin glorybower

Gift of Shimura Fukumi, 2025

Shimura Fukumi is a textile artist known for her technique of tsumugi weaving using plant-based dyes. She uses natural dyes extracted from wild plants and trees to dye silk threads taken from cocoons, creating beautiful colour combinations and hand-weaving these threads into kimono. With her unique philosophy of ‘receiving colours from plants’, she views plant-dyeing not just as a technique but also as an expression of the coexistence between nature and humans. Colours born from nature ‘are alive’, according to the artist, their texture deepening and changing over time. Shimura has been awarded multiple honours, including the Living National Treasure in 1990 and the Kyoto Prize in Arts and Philosophy in 2014.

New acquisition


Fujin Gurafu and Art-Goût-Beauté

Fujin Gurafu (The Ladies’ Graphic) was published by Tokyo publishing firm Kokusai Jōhōsha from 1924 to 1928 and was modelled on the iconic French magazine Art-Goût-Beauté, published by the textile-manufacturing firm Albert Godde, Bedin et Cie in Paris from 1920 to 1933. Both magazines featured exquisite Art Deco fashion illustrations by leading illustrators, which were eagerly anticipated by readers awaiting each new issue. These illustrations provide a glimpse into the luxurious lifestyle, international news and latest fashion ideas marketed to women in the 1920s.


Albert Godde, Bedin et Cie publisher

French active 1922–33

Art-Goût-Beauté

Christmas 1928

January 1925

April 1922

France

colour lithograph, silk cord

National Gallery of Victoria, Campbell-Pretty Fashion Research Collection


Kokusai Jōhōsha publisher

Japanese 1922–2002

Fujin Gurafu

October 1924

September 1926

October 1926

Japan

colour woodblock, lithograph

National Gallery of Victoria, Shaw Research Library


YOKOSUKA Noriaki photographer

Japanese 1937–2003

SHISEIDO producer

Japanese est. 1872

Sayoko × Shiseido
Kinga shinnen 1980

1983 Japan

poster: colour lithograph

Purchased, NGV Asian Art Acquisition Fund, 2025

This 1983 New Year poster produced by Japan’s oldest cosmetic company, Shiseido, features one of the country’s leading fashion models, Sayoko Yamaguchi. Sayoko was a powerful advocate for traditional Japanese costume, and, with her quintessentially Japanese raven-black hair, almond eyes and evocative glances, became the face of Shiseido during the 1970s and 1980s. At a time when Japanese style was becoming prominent in the international fashion world, Sayoko and leading photographer Yokosuka Noriaki created some of the most powerful commercial imagery of the era, heralding a new appreciation of Japanese beauty.

New acquisition

Tokyo street fashion

The last two decades have marked an exciting revival of the kimono as a creative, playful medium of personal expression. A new generation of young Japanese are challenging ideas of modernity and rediscovering their country’s fashion heritage.

Contemporary kimono labels, designers and stylists are reinventing Japan’s unique fashion traditions. They are using surprising materials to produce accessories and footwear, experimenting with alternative fabrics and techniques, such as inkjet printing on polyester, and coordinating unlikely fashion items to express unprecedented ideas. Craving the latest designs and styles as rapidly as the seasons and years change, young pleasure-seekers cruise Tokyo’s fashion districts of Harajuku, Shibuya and Aoyama in search of the latest trends, such as ‘super cute’ (kawaii), ‘playful gothic’ and ‘new dandyism’.

In this mix, recognised designers like Issey Miyake feature bold designs by established graphic artists such as Ikko Tanaka. Kimono artisans like Tamao Shigemune and Rumi Rock design and style previously unimaginable ensembles of kimono and associated accessories that appeal to current consumers and shock previous generations. New brands such as Y. & Sons produce unique tailored or limited-edition off-the-rack kimono for fashion-conscious young men, while Robe Japonica and Modern Antenna work with surprising motifs to create innovative street fashion kimono.


Harmon Knitwear, Brooklyn manufacturer

est. c. 1930

Rudi GERNREICH designer

Austria 1922–38, worked in United States 1938–85

Kabuki

1963

wool

Purchased with funds donated by Bulgari Australia Pty Ltd, 2017 2016.180

This dress is one of American designer Rudi Gernreich’s key designs, informed by his early career as a dancer and costume designer. Gernreich became interested in developing non-restrictive and avant-garde clothing for women in the late 1950s. His innovative designs reflect an uninhibited view of sexuality and gender. Influenced by the agronomy of the kimono, Gernreich launched his unisex line at Japan’s first international exhibition, Expo ’70, in Osaka. The Kabuki dress highlights his interest in functionality, combining vibrant Op-Art patterning that draws on the aesthetic tastes of eighteenth-century Kabuki theatre costumes.


Givenchy, Paris fashion house

est. 1984

Alexander McQUEEN designer

English 1969–2010

Cocktail dress

1997

Eclect Dissect collection, autumn–winter 1997–98

leather, silk, metal and plastic (fastenings)

Purchased with funds donated by the Bertocchi family, 2015 2015.2

This work was shown in a Paris medical school in July 1997 as part of Alexander McQueen’s second couture collection for Givenchy. Conceived as a narrative, the runway show imagined a turn-of-the-century surgeon who travelled the world collecting objects, textiles and women, taking them apart and reassembling them in his lab. Ingenious and theatrical, the collection referenced late Victorian dress and seventeenth-century anatomical drawings, while the models represented the murdered women, returned to haunt the living. Mash-ups of exotic finery, the garments showed McQueen’s skilful material dissections of traditional dress codes from Spain, Scotland, Russia and, in the case of this cocktail dress, Japan.


John Galliano, London fashion house

est. 1984

John GALLIANO designer

Gibraltar born 1960, immigrated to England 1966, worked in France 1991–

Look 1, Minimono

1994

Black collection, autumn–winter 1994–95

wool, plastic (buttons), nylon (lining)

Purchased, NGV Foundation Patrons, 2020 2020.706

After studying fashion design at Central Saint Martins, London, John Galliano established his eponymous label in 1984. He relocated his studio to Paris in the early 1990s, and three years later, following a meeting with Anna Wintour and Andre Leon Talley, editor-in-chief and creative director of Vogue magazine, respectively, presented his career-making Black collection. One of the most notable pieces from this collection, Minimono demonstrates Galliano’s exceptional tailoring skills and global reference points. The work marries 1940s suiting and Paul Poiret’s 1910s Orientalist visions with the structural form and decoration of Japanese kimono. For the Black collection’s original runway presentation, garments were styled with vintage kimono obis; however, this example features a prop obi.


Y. & Sons

Japanese est. 2015

Arimatsu yoroidan, yukata and accessories

2024

cotton (Arimatsu shibori tie-dye) (kimono), washi paper (obi sash), ramie (haori coat), polyester (haneri collar), bamboo, wood, leather (geta sandals), organic linen (furoshiki wrapping cloth)

Gift of Y. & Sons, 2025

Y. & Sons produce tailor-made kimono for a new generation of style-conscious young men. Employing skilled artisans and high-quality materials, the label provides a traditional Japanese experience for modern Japanese city-dwellers. Arimatsu is a town on the outskirts of Nagoya that is celebrated for its mastery of shibori tie-dye techniques. This subtly decorated yukata (summer kimono) with horizontal lines created using the yoroidan tie-dye technique is accompanied by an obi sash woven from the soft washi paper of a historical shop ledger; a ramie (hemp) outer haori coat; bamboo-veneered geta sandals; and a charcoal-dyed linen furoshiki wrapping cloth.

New acquisition


Y. & Sons

Japanese est. 2015

Kuniyoshi Asahina, yukata and accessories

2024

cotton (katazome stencil-dye) (kimono), silk, Hakata-ori (obi sash), cork, rubber, polyester (geta sandals), Yamanashi washi paper, bamboo (uchiwa fan)

Gift of Y. & Sons, 2025

Yukata are lightweight cotton summer kimono worn as casual wear, traditionally at festivals and on evening promenades along the river. Differing from formal wear, yukata often feature decorative and playful designs chosen by the wearer as an extension of their personality. This yukata was produced using a traditional stencil-dyeing technique and features a humorous face based on woodblock prints of the mythical character Asahina by the nineteenth-century artist Utagawa Kuniyoshi. The garment is combined with an obi sash from the famed weaving city of Hakata, cork-veneered geta sandals, and a flat uchiwa fan produced from bamboo and washi paper from Yamanashi prefecture.

New acquisition


Modern Antenna

Japanese est. 2007

Yoshihide HIRAYAMA designer

Japanese born 1971

Asako YAMAMOTO designer

Japanese born 1975

Akira AOYAMA designer

Japanese born 1985

Gondola, kimono

2025

Face × lip, obi sash

2019

Sky walk, zōri sandals

2022

Sakazuki in the right hand, haneri collar

2021

stencil dyeing (katazome) on polyester (kimono), silk (Nishijin ori) (obi sash), polyester, stencil dyeing (katazome) (haneri collar), vinyl, rubber, EVA, synthetic leather (zōri sandals)

Based in Kyoto, Modern Antenna is a collective of young Japanese kimono designers. With a passion for modernism, pop, punk and manga/cartoon culture, the group creates designs combining Eastern and Western imagery, which becomes animated by the movement of the wearer. According to the designers: ‘This kimono features a mysterious futuristic atmosphere, created through a collage of architectural elements arranged into a geometric pattern. Using fluorescent inks and silver foil, Gondola was designed with the concept of an imaginary gondola floating through a futuristic cityscape.’

Proposed acquisition


Issey Miyake and Ikko Tanaka

These two coats with matching handbags and accessories were released as part of designer Issey Miyake’s ready-to-wear spring 2016 collection. Miyake has incorporated his trademark pleating into the shape of a traditional Japanese haori coat and added imagery by the renowned twentieth-century graphic designer Ikko Tanaka. The design for Sharaku first appeared as a 1995 poster celebrating the 200th anniversary of ukiyo-e artist Tōshūsai Sharaku’s brief period of artistic activity producing kabuki portraits. Tanaka’s design for Maiko dancer (Nihon buyo) was first created in 1981 as a poster for a Japanese dance performance touring the United States.


Issey MIYAKE

Japanese 1938–2022

Ikko TANAKA after

Japanese 1930–2002

Maiko dancer
Nihon buyo

2016

polyester (haori coat), vinyl, nylon (bag), acrylic, chromed metal, synthetic cord (necklace), acrylic (bangle), acrylic (comb)

Purchased with funds donated by the Hon. Michael Watt and Cecilie Hall, 2016 2016.596


Ikko TANAKA

Japanese 1930–2002

Nihon buyo

1981

poster: colour lithograph

Purchased with funds donated by Cecilie Hall, 2025

New acquisition


Issey MIYAKE

Japanese 1938–2022

Ikko TANAKA after

Japanese 1930–2002

Sharaku

2016

polyester (haori coat), vinyl, nylon (bag), acrylic, chromed metal, synthetic cord (necklace), acrylic (bangle), acrylic (comb)

Purchased with funds donated by the Hon. Michael Watt and Cecilie Hall, 2016 2016.595


Rumi Rock

Japanese est. 2005

Rumi SHIBASAKI designer

Japanese born 1963

Ko Kutani, furisode kimono

2021

Unicorn victory, obi sash

2017

Accessories

2019–24

inkjet print on polyester (kimono), silk, polyester, gold thread (obi sash), silk (obijime braided cord), silk, polyester, gold thread (obiage fabric), polyester, polyester film (haneri collar), leather, vinyl, metal studs (zōri sandals)

Purchased with funds donated by Cecilie Hall, 2025

In a studio located in what was once Tokyo’s legendary courtisan district, Yoshiwara, Rumi Rock produces kimono imbued with the spirit of the Edo period (1600–1868). This furisode (long-sleeve kimono) is designed for a young woman attending her coming-of-age cermony at the age of twenty. The kimono features a design of flowers and geometric patterns in colours that are the hallmark of rare old Kutani porcelain ware. Production of such wares was suddenly and mysteriously halted in the early eighteenth century after only fifty years. The kimono’s auspicious design is combined with an obi sash featuring a European unicorn, imparting a cross-cultural mythical power.

New acquisition


Robe Japonica

Japanese est. 2015

UEOKA Taro designer

Japanese born 1967

Skull, kimono and accessories

2022 Japan

inkjet print on polyester (kimono), silk (obi sash, Nishijin-ori), cotton lace, polyester, polyurethane (haori coat), lacquer on wood, fabric, polyester, cotton (geta sandals), perspex, vinyl, cotton, polyester (geta sandals)

Purchased with funds donated by Cecilie Hall, 2025

Located in the centre of Tokyo’s fashion district Harajuku, Robe Japonica focuses on ‘Wearing modern Japan’. The label originally produced men’s kimono exclusively, but over time its designs became popular with young women and are now presented as unisex apparel. According to Robe Japonica founder Ueoka Taro: ‘We combine Japanese traditional kimono with modern original designs to provide contemporary outfits.’ This can be seen in the use of innovative materials like acrylic or lacquer on wood to produce geta sandals and lace to produce see-through haori jackets, as well as inkjet-printed designs on polyester with traditional silk obi sashes.

New acquisition


SHIGEMUNE Tamao

Japanese born 1981

Sister Sha’s dream journey

2024

Sister Sha Rico’s room, kimono

2018

JAPON 1, Nagoya obi

2016

Coin dot, Nishijin-ori half-width sash

2017

Flower, zōri sandals

2017

Dot and stripe, obiage

2017

Petticoat, fur and lace sleeves

2025

Earmuffs

2025

Twins, bag

2018

inkjet print on polyester (kimono, obi sash), cotton embroidery, vinyl (zōri sandals), cotton, lace, artificial fur (cuffs, hem), plastic, metal, silk cord (necklace), cotton, silk, artificial fur (headpiece)

Purchased, NGV Asian Art Acquisition Fund, 2025

Shigemune Tamao is one of Japan’s most imaginative kimono stylists. For this exhibition she has created this contemporary kawaii, or ‘super cute’, ensemble, supported by the following narrative: ‘An imaginary girl named Sister Sha embarks on a whimsical journey, collecting colourful treasures from around the world. Playful accessories and eccentric motifs blend together to create a dreamlike yet slightly distorted vision of Japan as seen from afar.’ This ensemble reimagines the kimono through a contemporary, youthful lens, merging tradition and innovation.

New acquisition

Global kimono now

The influence of the kimono, with its draping form and limitless possibilities for decoration, permeates contemporary fashion. Leading Japanese designers fuse age-old textile techniques with modern designs to produce high-end kimono ensembles, while international designers allude to the kimono’s chic linear shape to create new interpretations of the traditional Japanese garment.

Kyoto-based kimono artisan and designer Jotaro Saito produces sophisticated outfits contrasting light and dark flowing lines. In contrast to Saito’s innovative masculine and feminine kimono styles, Hiroko Takahashi has developed her contemporary graphic design skills to produce bold unisex kimono presented as installations as a statement of female assertion and gender parity.

In recent decades, internationally recognised fashion icons Yohji Yamamoto, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen have expressed affection for the kimono as an influence on their creative practices. Considered a master tailor, Yamamoto has incorporated the kimono’s simplicity and linearity into his work, while Galliano is renowned for integrating kimono influences into his collections and runway shows, particularly during his time at Dior. McQueen was known for exploring Eastern fashion and incorporating Orientalist elements, with the kimono serving as a key inspiration.


SAITO Jotaro

Japanese born 1969

Tokyo fashion week

2023, 2024, 2025

5 min 5 sec

Courtesy of Saito Jotaro


SAITO Jotaro

Japanese born 1969

Rebellion incident, men’s kimono and accessories

2022

silk (kimono) (yuzen resist-dyeing), silk cotton (obi sash), vinyl, nylon (tabi socks)

Collection of Saito Jotaro

Jotaro Saito is descended from a family of textile designers and artisans in Kyoto who preserve traditional yuzen resist-dyeing techniques. Since making his fashion debut at the age of twenty-seven, he has operated boutiques in central Nagoya and Tokyo’s high-end fashion district of Ginza. Participating in Tokyo’s biannual spring and autumn fashion week with extravagant catwalk presentations, Saito has developed a reputation for lavishly decorated yet strikingly modern kimono ensembles, highlighting the ways in which kimono designs continue to adapt to contemporary life, culture and tastes.


SAITO Jotaro

Japanese born 1969

Misty empire, woman’s kimono and accessories

2020

silk (kimono, obi sash) (yuzen resist-dyeing), polyester, nylon (haneri collar), nylon (tabi socks)

Collection of Saito Jotaro


John Galliano, London fashion house

est. 1984

John GALLIANO designer

Gibraltar born 1960, immigrated to England 1966, worked in France 1991–

Coat

1985

The Ludic Game collection, autumn–winter 1985–86

screenprinted cotton (flannelette), plastic (buttons)

Gift of Krystyna Campbell-Pretty AM and Family through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, 2023 2023.712

Created for John Galliano’s first commercial collection, this coat alludes to the flat pattern-cutting techniques of kimono construction. For this collection, Galliano was inspired by Angela Carter’s 1984 novel Nights at the Circus and its heroine, Sophie Fevvers, who is half bird and half woman. The vulture print featured throughout the collection was designed by Galliano’s fellow Central Saint Martin’s student Luiven Rivas-Sanchez, who has since designed textiles for Christian Lacroix and Jasper Conran.


Alexander McQueen, London fashion house

est. 1992

Alexander McQUEEN designer

English 1969–2010

Gown, belt and sandals

2007

The Blue Lady (La Dame Bleue) collection, spring–summer 2008

silk (satin), patent leather, leather, synthetic fabric (shoulder pads, wadding), cotton (laces), metal (fastenings), rubber

Gift of Krystyna Campbell-Pretty AM and Family through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, 2021 2021.99.a-d

Alexander McQueen’s The Blue Lady (La Dame Bleue) collection was created in memory of Isabella Blow, the designer’s muse and one of his closest friends, who passed away in 2007. Instilling McQueen’s inveterate fascination with Japan, this gown features kimono sleeves and an obi belt. The belt and sandals evince the Japanese reverence for the butterfly as the personification of the soul – another memorialisation of Blow.


TAKAHASHI Hiroko

Japanese born 1977

Reflective emptiness 00006-, kimono

2025

crepe silk (chirimen), digital print (kimono)

Gift of Takahashi Hiroko, 2025

New acquisition


TAKAHASHI Hiroko

Japanese born 1977

Reflective emptiness 00045-, kimono and accessories

2025

crepe silk (chirimen), digital print (kimono), silk (obi sash), silk, nylon, leather, cork, rubber (zōri sandals)

Gift of Takahashi Hiroko, 2025

Working from a renovated old warehouse located in the Shitamachi area of downtown Tokyo, Hiroko Takahashi is a leading figure among a new generation of kimono and product designers. Known for her bold black-and-white, geometric motifs, Takahashi has produced cotton yukata summer kimono for professional sumo wrestlers and has collaborated with international brands like Adidas and IKEA. Takahashi models her own creations in innovative ways. In contrast to conventional female models who traditionally strike feminine and demure poses, Takahashi takes a powerful stance: with clenched fists and looking directly at the viewer, she presents the kimono as a modern and assertive style choice for women.

New acquisition


TAKAHASHI Hiroko

Japanese born 1977

Emptiness 00006

2025

digital print on paper

Gift of Takahashi Hiroko, 2025

New acquisition


TAKAHASHI Hiroko

Japanese born 1977

Emptiness 00045

2025

digital print on paper

Gift of Takahashi Hiroko, 2025

New acquisition

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