Nagoya Obi Tsujigahana Pattern Silk Tsumugi Vintage

A Nagoya obi with a Tsujigahana pattern on a natural ivory ground — bold fields of navy, vermilion, mustard and indigo, with white flowers painted in by hand. The cloth is silk tsumugi spun from double cocoons (tamamayu), whose yarns carry natural slubs. The soft outlines of shibori and the plump texture of the cocoon silk are its charms.

About Tsujigahana

Tsujigahana is a dyeing style that flourished from the late Muromachi period into the Azuchi-Momoyama period. Built on shibori tie-dyeing, it adds hand-painted colour to the white resisted areas, together with embroidery and applied gold or silver foil, creating patterns like a painting. Loved by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, it faded quickly when yuzen dyeing spread in the Edo period, and its techniques were lost. Because so few pieces survive, it is called the "phantom dye." Today's Tsujigahana pieces are modern artists' recreations of that lost art, known as Tsujigahana patterns — and this obi is one of them.

Measurements (Obi)

Otaiko (drum) section: width 31.8 cm (12.5 in) / length 94 cm (37.0 in)
Body wrap section (folded in half): width 16 cm (6.3 in) / length 99 cm (39.0 in)

Condition

Pre-owned. There is one light brown stain, about the size of a 500-yen coin (approx. 2.6 cm across), just below the triangular fold — a spot that stays hidden when the obi is tied. Please check the photos.

About the Images

Some product images use AI-generated backgrounds to help illustrate the atmosphere and styling of the item. Please refer to the individual product photos for the actual appearance of the item.