Japanese Nagoya Obi with Abstract Motif

Pale gold silk is crazed with grey lines like dry earth after rain.

This nagoya obi with abstract motif is from Japan, and is ca. 1940. It is silk. The nagoya obi is a style of kimono sash with a narrower half folded at the back, and it is generally easier to tie than wider obi. Folded woven sash in cream and straw tones, patterned with large irregular cells outlined in soft grey. Some cells are filled with dusty rose and sage green. Fine horizontal slubs show in the lustrous cloth. It is 13 inches wide and 137 long.

Quiet colors, laid out with a surveyor's patience.