Uchikake — ivory silk wedding coat, gold-embroidered cranes
The Golden Cranes
680 €
Only one in stock
Each kimono is bought one at a time in Japan; we will not have another. These are authentic vintage Japanese kimono: each one has been worn, then carefully kept, before it came this far. It is not new, and that is where its value lies. The marks of time — the patina, the light wear — are photographed and described; they are part of the piece.
Description
The uchikake is the coat a Japanese bride wears on her wedding day, over her kimono.
Across the ivory silk, pines spread in waves of red and green, resting on rocks embroidered in silver. Among them stand cranes embroidered in gold thread: on the front, two face each other and another stands alone below; on the back, more of them take flight.
The crane is the Japanese symbol of longevity and lasting bonds. The pine, evergreen, carries the same promise. Together, on a wedding garment, they say the same thing twice.
Inside, the lining is gold with copper glints: it shows only in movement, when the coat opens. The hem is fuki, a padded roll that makes the cloth gather evenly on the floor.
Like every uchikake, it does not close: it rests on the shoulders and trails. Worn open over simple clothes, it becomes a ceremonial coat.
Its story
The pines on this coat are not mere decoration: they point to a story every guest at a Japanese wedding knows.
In Takasago, a fifteenth-century Noh play, a traveller meets an old couple sweeping needles beneath a pine. They are the spirits of two pines "born together" (aioi no matsu), growing old side by side and never parting. The Takasago chant is still sung at weddings today, and the couple’s table is named after it.
The crane completes the promise. The proverb says it lives a thousand years; above all, it spends its life with a single partner. On the front, two cranes face each other. On the back — the side you see as the bride walks away — they take flight.
To grow old together, for a long time, and to set off as two: that is all this coat wishes. It was embroidered so that it could be said without a word.
Details
- Length
- 180 cm / 70.9"
- Yuki (back to cuff)
- 60 cm / 23.6" — cuff-to-cuff span 120 cm / 47.2"
- Body width
- 60 cm / 23.6"
- Sleeve
- 104 cm / 41.0" long, 30 cm / 11.8" wide
- Material
- Silk, gold and silver thread embroidery. Gold lining. Padded hem (fuki).
- Condition
- Light yellowing in a few spots, a slightly loose thread on the back, a yellow mark on the hem (no tear). Interior clean. See the last three photos.
- Worn
- Open, without an obi. Trails on the floor.
- Weight
- 3.15 kg / 6.9 lb
Shipping
Sent from France, carefully folded and wrapped in Japanese paper. Times and rates are set out in the terms of sale. Returns accepted within fourteen days, except for pieces altered to measure.
Care
Dry clean by a specialist in antique textiles only. Never wash. The padded hem must never be forced into a fold. Store on a wide, padded hanger away from light.