yukata, Japan, Taisho (circa 1920), cm 147x120. Yukata are Japanese summer garments, usually made of cotton or hemp as lightweight as possible to allow transpiration during the hot and humid months in central and southern Japan. These informal kimonos also frequently worn after bathing at traditional Japanese inns, as ‘yukata’ literally means ‘bath(ing) cloth’. This one is a particularly nice example of a ‘country’ yukata with hand-spun and hand-woven cotton dyed in dark indigo, and decorated using the ‘shibori’ or shape resist technique. This piece has been published in a rather important exhibition catalogue; please enquire for full reference. Visually compelling and in very good condition.