Japan
Furisode
Late Edo period, 19th century
Embroidered red and blue silk
182.8 x 127.7 cm
Gift of Gaylord Donnelley in memory of Frances Gaylord Smith, 1991.636

Furisode means “swinging sleeves.” In the nineteenth century, furisode with their bright colors, bold designs, and large sleeves were worn by young girls in Edo (now Tokyo), the capital of Japan. Married women wore robes with shorter sleeves and less bold patterns. 

Needleworkers used silk threads wrapped in paper-thin strips of gold leaf to outline the red clouds. Can you see the bamboo design woven into the silk? Many skilled workers created this robe: the weavers, dyers, and embroiderers, and the tailors who first cut the shapes and then reassembled the garment.