Geneviève d'Aigues Mortes

In which a hand-painted kosode is made.

Welcome

Thank you for stopping by to check out my work!

This is my first Arts and Sciences display or entry of any kind and, while I'm thrilled to be able to share, I'm still working out the 'how to' of it all.

A bit about me...

Hello! My name is Geneviève and I am so pleased to be able to introduce myself to you as an artist. I am new to the SCA- just as shelter-in-place began I celebrated my one year SCA-iversary, and have enjoyed discovering the joys this group of history and art humans has to offer.

One of the best things I've discovered about the group is that there seems to be a person who's well versed or at least knows something about almost every topic you could imagine! Bread from the 13th century! Mead making! German weapons from 1550!

As an artist it is absolutely invaluable to have so many people to talk to about the things I am researching and working to either replicate or use as inspiration.

Thanks for having me!

This adventure begins as I researched the kosode and later period (16th century/1500's) Japanese garments for a gift I wanted to make. In addition to the time and place, I had the colors and charges of their device/household: blue, black, gold, a dragon, and the dragonflies of the household they belong to.

The kosode (literally 'little sleeve' which refers to not only the sleeve style but also the opening through which your hand fits) is the predecessor of the more modern kimono and was worn by men and women, working-class to noble people, alike. Though there are variants of the garments that make them more or less ornate and more or less likely to have been worn by men or women, the path I found myself on focused on a two-layer kosode set with the inner layer being shorter of sleeve and hem, and the outer layer being longer in both sleeve and hem and adorned with hand-painted designs.

Though there are some extremely ornate extant examples from the Edo period (1603-1867 CE), the kosode pair I set out to make was meant to evoke the feeling of kosode worn at the end of the Muromachi (1333-1568) period and into the Azuchi–Momoyama period (1568–1600), or during part of what was considered feudal Japan.

Originating during the Heian period (794–1185) as mostly silken undergarments over which more decorative, wider sleeved, and flowing garments were worn; the kosode transitioned to outerwear and it became du mode to wear them doubled up and for the outermost layer to be decorated.

While many kosode were made of silks and other more formal materials, the person I was creating this for needed it to be easily washable, low maintenance, and extremely cool to wear as they run warm. With this in mind, I chose a black linen base layer (better for close-to-the-body wearability and longevity) and a dark blue top layer. I also knew that I would want to make the base layer a bit shorter of sleeve and length as the intended giftee plays musical instruments and often wanders through grasses and such while playing. I figured that the outer layer would be added on cooler days and for formal occasions and could be left fully long-sleeved and trail ever so slightly.

A Painting from the Tokyo National Museum

Muromachi Period, 16th century

I used this painting, and many others like it, as support and inspiration for my choice of garment. The sleeves are clearly correct for the time period and the painting also helps place the garment in the time period. Please feel free to click here for more information.

Portrait of Nawa Nagatoshi

A Painting by Hasegawa Tohaku (1539~1610)

This portrait, presumed to be of Nawa Nagatoshi, is an excellent example of the 14th century style of wearing kosode (shown here as patterned) layered under more formal outerwear. You can see more here, and here, and on this work by Saionji no Hana Sensei, here.

Garment and fabric selected it was time to figure out how the heck to make one.

Luckily, someone recommended I speak with Saionji no Hana Sensei.

Saionji no Hana Sensei has been an invaluable mentor and friend as I have undertaken this effort. In addition to excellent instructions for assembly and measurements, etc, which she had previously researched and written, she was immediately willing to jump down this rabbit hole with me- answering countless questions, cheerleading, and gamely searching for extant examples and inspiration. A most gracious combination of expertise and practice.

Pattern is mathed out and ready for cutting.

Bundles of cut out kosode pieces ready for assembly.

Assembly begins!

Progress was made! I had to ask about a few of the angles and clarify some parts of the assembly instructions, all of which Saionji no Hana Sensei was available for and gracious enough to answer.

Success! The white and red kosode are for another project but they say practice makes perfect so I made all four at once.

The search for motif inspiration begins...

With the assembly finished I wanted to find an extant sample to use as inspiration. While I planned to make the designs my own, I wanted to be sure to be as close to period as possible.

Saionji no Hana Sensei listened to my dreams and plans for the project and recommended this perfect example of what I had been hoping to make. You can see more about the specific kosode I worked to recreate to some degree, here.

In order to achieve the color I was hoping for I mixed white acrylic paint with pigment and then added a liquitex transparent gloss medium.

I practiced a few times to get the shaping correct and to make sure the paint was properly mixed to keep it from bleeding through the fabric and yet not flake off when dry. I also used this sample for my primary washing test to be sure the kosode would survive general washing.

Fairly sure the design could be accomplished I began painting in earnest. This took me several days to complete.

Navy Blue Aoi Crest Spear Umebun Tsujike Hanazome Kosode Konji

This is the sample kosode I based my designs off of.

Final Product Before Washing and Pressing

This is my final work. I chose to incorporate a rabbit for the son of the recipient, dragonflies for their household, and the dragon for their device. The hue of the paint is meant to be a nod towards the third color in their device- gold/yellow. I elected to leave this kosode unlined to maintain ease of care/washing and wearability for this particular individual.

C'est finis!

This project was so much fun to make. I love the personal touches and the way the motif suites the recipient so well.

I noticed that I missed the assembly step of cutting into the back of the kosode to allow some ease around the back of the neck. While I'm pleased with the way this kosode wears and looks I will be adding that step in to any future kosodes I make to allow the collar to sit as crisply as possible.

One last, enormous thank you to Saionji no Hana Sensei for being such a marvelous and generous project mentor.

Thank you for taking the time to read all of this and to look at my pictures and projects. I want to welcome you to leave a note behind or say hello and want to note that I am not seeking critiques of my methods or artistic style at this time.

Until next time,

Geneviève d'Aigues Mortes

Reference

Cultural Heritage Online

Denney, Joyce, "Japanese Kosode Fragments of the Edo Period (1615-1868): A Recent Acquisition by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York" (2002). Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings. 510. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tsaconf/510

Genre Scenes of the Twelve Months, Tokyo National Museum

Japanese Aesthetics

Kosode: a Japanese Garment for the SCA period

Kyoto National Museum

Men’s Garments by Anthony J. Bryant and Joshua L. Badgley

Portrait of Nawa Nagatoshi

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