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Summer Kimono (Hito-e) with Swirls

1920s–30s

Not on view

While the rendering of the swirl (uzumaki) motif on this unlined kimono is very modern, the spiral, or vortex, pattern has a long history in Japan. It appears on ancient Jōmon pottery (ca. 10,500–ca. 300 B.C.). In the Edo period (1615–1868) small swirl motifs were often used as background in complex compositions depicting rivers. This summer kimono’s large swirls of white on a dark green ground are a blown-up, stylized version of the motif and reflect the influence of Western art and the contemporary Art Deco aesthetic.

Summer Kimono (Hito-e) with Swirls, Printed gauze-weave (ro) silk with twisted wefts, Japan — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Summer Kimono (Hito-e) with Swirls, Printed gauze-weave (ro) silk with twisted wefts, Japan

Summer Kimono (Hito-e) with Swirls, Printed gauze-weave (ro) silk with twisted wefts, Japan

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

白絽地渦巻模様単衣

Title: Summer Kimono (Hito-e) with Swirls

Period: Taishō (1912–26) or Shōwa (1926–89) period

Date: 1920s–30s

Culture: Japan

Medium: Printed gauze-weave (ro) silk with twisted wefts

Dimensions: 63 3/4 in. × 49 in. (161.9 × 124.5 cm)

Classification: Costumes

Credit Line: Promised Gift of John C. Weber

The Met

Asian Art at The Met

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world.