Han juban, Japan, late Edo (circa 1840), cm 120x81. The ‘han juban’ is an half length garment which is worn under a kimono. Those used by women were, in the past, mostly obtained by patching together silks obtained by discarded kimonos, and the results were often amazing assembles of multi-coloured silks. ‘Male’ jubans were (starting from Meiji) usually more conservatively done, and obtained from new silk fabrics. However, during Edo, it was not uncommon to find patchwork male jubans too, as it is the case with the present item. Diverse old silk fabrics, in the shades of blue, have been shaped to obtain this lightly padded underkimono. The result is awesome, with aqua silks facing deep sky-blue patches and a great fragment from a luxury kimono where ethereal butterflies populate the space together with plants in a sort of Pandora-like planet… The solid black lining is the icing on the cake. In rather good condition, with just some staining from a past bad wash encounter a red cloth, this is a jacket that stands out due to its great visual appeal. Truly lovely and much recommended.