Takara

Motif and details

The motif represents an old merchant ship depicted with a funny scale and perspective. To me, it resembles illustrations and old photos I have seen of the Kiatamaebune, a northern shipping road connecting Osaka to Hokkaido that was used during the Edo and Meiji eras. Only, this one seems like a cute toy verison, perhaps it is a decoration item in shape of a ship.

The sails are covered with a shibori-like motif, another hint that this would be a decoration item. On the sail of the boat we can read “寳” (takara, Japanese for “treasure”. And indeed, we can see different kinds of treasures on the deck such as wooden barrels, magic hammer, seaweeds and other traditional auspicious motifs. I believe it is the artist’s personal take on the famous kimono motif called 7 Takara-zukushi, the seven treasures collections, which are lucky charms often represented on auspicious pieces.

Pine branches are also represented in between ships, which is another of the 7 treasures.

The black backgroud is covered with curly waves that appear in the texture of the fabric.

Composition: 100% silk

Origin

This fabric was a Nagoya obi. Nagoya obi is a type of obi that can be paired with casual or formal kimono outfits and can be more or less dressed depending on the style and type of knot you opt for. This one features high contrast with a black background and vivid colours and would work with formal outfits.

I easily picture it worn with a dark or colourful kimono with an all-over motif, a little like this outfit below, styled and shot by the talented Statia from Inkimononkimono.com/: