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Summer Robe (Katabira) with Kemari Balls and Willow

late 18th–early 19th century
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
Light garments made of bast fibers were most suitable for summer. This unlined robe was designed with long sleeves for a young, unmarried commoner (chōnin) woman, probably in Kyoto. The cascading branches of a weeping willow provide the structure of the composition, to which scattered chrysanthemums and clematis flowers were added, along with kemari balls that appear to be suspended in the air. Accents of couched gold thread suggest sunshine. Courtiers played kemari, a game somewhat like soccer, beginning in the Heian period (794–1185); the aim is to keep the soft leather ball aloft only by kicking.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • 白麻地蹴鞠柳菊鉄線模様帷子
  • Title: Summer Robe (Katabira) with Kemari Balls and Willow
  • Period: Edo period (1615–1868)
  • Date: late 18th–early 19th century
  • Culture: Japan
  • Medium: Plain-weave ramie with paste-resist dyeing, stencil-dyed dots (suri-bitta), hand-painted details, and couched gold thread
  • Dimensions: 64 1/2 × 50 in. (163.8 × 127 cm)
  • Classification: Costumes
  • Credit Line: Lent by John C. Weber Collection
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art