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The crane('tsuru' in Japanese) is one of the most common motifs for kimono. It would take many postings to describe the numerous motifs found in the various items we see.
The crane is considered the most graceful and auspicious of birds, and it was formerly thought to live for 1000 years.
The most well known folk tale about a crane is 'Tsuru no ongaeshi'( The Grateful Crane )
You can find the story in English on several sites.
http://www.e-hon.jp/tsurun/tsue0.htm
http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/folk/tsuru/tsuru01.html
Simply stated, a crane was saved by a kind man, and she returned the favor by making him fabric for a kimono with her own feathers.
The mystery kimono we have just bough may be made of fabric woven with genuine crane down!
It has the shape of an antique men's haori (longer and larger than the usual vintage haori), and it is completely white. Its fine texture is incredibly soft and light to the touch. While we were touching and checking it, some white down feathers wafted into the air. When we went to the auction, we were not sure what the material was made of, but its gracefulness was unusual, so we bid on it and won it.
Back in our office, we checked the textile with a microscope. As you can see in the detail photo, white down feathers are definitely blended with the weft threads. The warp is made of S-twist cotton threads, and S-twist cotton threads are also blended in the weft. They seem to be the kind of cotton threads that were hand woven in the early Meiji and late Edo periods. The kimono also has white cotton haori ties, made of textiles which are also very old cotton. At present, unfortunately, we are not able to determine whether the down is from a crane or some other white bird.
But I did check on the internet, and found an article about crane feather kimono!
(Sorry, this page is in Japanese, but if you are interested, please check it.)
http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/jifuku/diary/200908010004/
In the late Edo period, kimono made of crane feather were called 'Kakushou'('kaku' means 'crane'). They were considered the supreme kimono suitable only for shogun and feudal lords. In this article, a kakushou was given to Sontoku Ninomiya by a feudal lord. He gave it, in turn, to Isuke Okabe, and this kakusho is now exhibited in the Houtoku Museum!
I knew that a fabric called 'Zenmai-hakucho-ori' existed. This fabric is woven mainly with zenmai (osmund) with white bird feathers blended into it. Zenmai is not white like our new kimono but brown, and has fewer feathers in it than our piece.
At the moment, we can't find further information. We are not sure, but we think our mystery kimono is one of these 'kakusho', the same kind of kimono exhibited in the Houtoku Museum. In nine years of experience buying, selling, and searching out unusual textiles and kimono, we have never seen or heard of 'kakusho'. This being so, we think it must be an extremelky rare and valuable piece! The Houtoku Museum is near Tokyo, far from our office, but now we are determined to go there and see the feather-woven kimono exhibited there.
We will let you know if we learn more about this rare fabric and weaving method in future.
Please Add Your Comment †
- Wow great! Please check artwork of Grateful Crane story: http://nipponaisuki.blogspot.com/2009/08/new-nipponaisuki-art-submission-check.html -- NAS?
- A fabulous treasure! Magic and legend made real in our world. -- Andy S.?
- How interesting! It must be lovely to touch. Thank you for sharing. I know you will treasure it. -- Jenny?
- Fascinating! Other Pacific peoples such as the New Zealand Maori wove feather cloaks, but this is the first tailored feather garment I've ever seen. A rare and lovely haori to be treasured - and I'm sure you'll take good care of it, too! -- Adina?
- Having spun wool, silk and mohair, I can imagine the sill required to mix down of whatever kind of bird into fiber. It is a beautiful work of art!!!! -- Carolyn Frye?
- Let us know what you find out! Very interesting! -- Gloria?
- Hi again, could you take a piece of the down to a university and get them to check it through a microscope. They should be able to tell what bird it came from if they have a Department of Conservation or such. -- Cherie Hoyle?
- Hi again -- Cherie Hoyle?
- Thank you very much for lots of comments! Down seem to be blended in warp threads(spun with cotton), and both sides of the textile has down. I will look for the scinentist to identify the feather! -- Ichiro
- the preciousness of this incredible piece reminds me of the feather garments of Hawaiian culture. not only were they incredible works of art and craftsmanship, but they are evidence of a highly developed system for passing knowledge and skills from one generation to the next - the honor of being a recognized master artisan, and of being chosen as a student can only be imagined. It also speaks to the incredible power wielded by the ruling class, to command the dedication of people's time and energy to a craft of luxury that far exceeds the requirements of mere utiity. such a person must have approached god-like status, in order to warrant the utilization of feathers from such a sacred symbol. -- kahana Ho?
- Please let us know how your investigation progresses! This fabric must felt very warm and wonderful to the wearer - a treasure indeed. We are all waiting for your next report. -- Mary Larkin?
- This haori is most lovely and yes very mysterious! i had never heard of such a technique! Would love to learn more about the reason behind the special addition of the down! reminds me of my knitting that i used to jobe was fur and hair blend--my hair and both cat and dog fur! but this garment was on purpose not happenstance!!! -- Vona?
- I know there are scientists who specialize in identifying bird feathers. If you could find one, perhaps you could send them a sample for identification. Facinating. Looks like the kimono has a lovely drape. -- Val?
- WOW---this is amazing! So beautiful, too. I wonder what other things kimono can be made from? The list may be endless . . . . -- Rebecca?
- So, are the down feathers spun with the cotton fibres into the thread? Or is it more like a felting technique? Is the kimono itself, on the inside, a solid cotton with the down on the outside? I've been trying to work long fibre feathers from boas into costume pieces and am still experimenting. This piece is very exciting! Thanks so much for all your wonderful finds and for all your wonderful writing! -- Cat?
- How fascinating!! I can only imagine how wonderfully soft it must be. Thank you so much for once again sharing something this interesting with us. -- Deborah?
- Please tell us what does it feel like? I can't wait to find out more about this mystery kimono! -- Sara M. Harvey?
- Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge with us, appreciate it! -- Rebecca?
- This is so interesting! -- Amy Houet?
- It must be incredibly soft! -- Bernadette Puleo?
Original text is written by Ichiro on 24th Jan 2010.
You can read the original text in this frozen page Mystery Kimono(Original)
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