Silk haori, Gosho-guruma lining
Water Blue
140 €
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
A short silk jacket, dyed in blown gradients — water blue outlined in plum. The shapes overlap like river stones seen from above.
Inside, a pattern of imperial court carriages, woven white on white into the silk. In Japanese dress the luxury hides on the inside: this hauta carries wheels, fans and Heian-era carriages, all invisible once the garment is worn.
No one will see it. That is exactly the point.
A fine hand overstitch runs along the back seam. Nothing requires it — it is a workshop gesture, left visible for anyone who looks closely.
The haori is worn open, over a shirt, a jumper, a dress. No knot, no obligatory belt.
Its story
The lining of this haori shows gosho-guruma: the ox-drawn carriages of the Heian nobility, in the age of The Tale of Genji, a thousand years ago. They carried the ladies of the court, and Kyoto still parades them every spring at the Aoi festival. Their great wheel is also a charm: a wheel turns, and fortune turns with it.
But the most telling story is elsewhere: why hide all this on the inside? In the Edo period, sumptuary laws forbade merchants, however wealthy, from wearing visible luxury. They answered by turning the garment around: plain outside, sumptuous within. The taste is called ura-masari, "the inside that wins".
This haori belongs to that line. The world sees stones in water; the woman wearing it knows she carries an imperial court procession against her.
Details
- Length
- 81 cm / 31.9"
- Yuki (back to cuff)
- 63.5 cm / 25.0" — cuff-to-cuff span 127 cm / 50"
- Sleeve
- 45.5 cm long, 33.5 cm wide
- Front panel width
- 24 cm
- Recommended height
- 155–168 cm (5'1"–5'6"). Worn open: no hip constraint
- Material
- Being verified
- Cord
- Red haori-himo, included
- Condition
- One small dark mark on the outer silk; slight yellowing of the lining near the collar. No tears, no open seams.
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 only. Air on a hanger in the shade after wearing, never store damp. Keep out of direct light — the blown gradients fade.