Obi (Kakeshita-obi) with Shell-Matching Game Boxes
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.This type of ceremonial, formal obi would have been coordinated with a robe with long sleeves (furisode) worn beneath an over robe (uchikake) for a merchant-class bride. The underside of the light blue sash has auspicious crane and cloud patterns, while the front depicts accoutrements of the shell-matching game (kai-awase), which was closely associated with weddings. The goal of the game, which became a popular courtly pastime in the late Heian period (794–1185), was to pair as many matching halves of clamshells as possible. In its most elaborate form, the game was played with 360 paired clamshells, the number reflecting the average number of days in a year.
Artwork Details
- 浅葱織地貝桶模様掛下帯
- Title: Obi (Kakeshita-obi) with Shell-Matching Game Boxes
- Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
- Date: late 18th century
- Culture: Japan
- Medium: Satin-weave silk with silk embroidery and couched gold thread
- Dimensions: 10 1/4 in. × 12 ft. 3 1/2 in. (26 × 374.7 cm)
- Classification: Costumes
- Credit Line: Lent by John C. Weber Collection
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art