Antique Japanese Silk Tsuzure Fukuro Obi Crane Chrysanthemum Wave 13'L

Antique Japanese Fukuro Obi (袋帯) — Tsuzure-Woven Silk with Cranes, Kichō Screens, Chrysanthemum & Wave Motifs

Japan, late Meiji–Taisho period (circa 1900–1926)
156″L × 13″W (396 × 33 cm), standard obi size

This fukuro obi is worked in tsuzuredashi construction, combining a jacquard-woven ground with pictorial bands built up in tsuzure tapestry weave. The design runs in muted taupe, soft orange, and navy against an ivory ground bordered by narrow olive and cream stripes — a tonal, painterly palette rather than the heavy gold brocade typical of more formal maru obi.

Cranes (tsuru) stand and fly among stylized kichō — the freestanding curtain-screens once used to partition Heian-era court interiors, rendered here as hexagon-diapered panel forms — alongside sweeping chrysanthemum (kiku) blossoms and bands of rolling seigaiha-style waves. The pairing draws on classical Heian courtly imagery layered with the crane's longevity symbolism and the chrysanthemum's imperial association, a more literary motif combination than the generic floral-repeat obi commonly seen on the market.

Tsuzuredashi refers to sections woven in the tsuzure tapestry method, where weft pattern threads are hand-manipulated directly into the cloth rather than floated across it on a jacquard loom — a slower, more labor-intensive technique historically associated with the finest Nishijin workshops. Combined with the specificity of the crane-and-kichō motif, it places this piece a cut above typical Taisho-era production obi.

Form: Fukuro obi, tsuzuredashi (tapestry-woven pictorial bands), standard obi length
Construction/Decoration: Silk tsuzure tapestry weave over jacquard ground; cranes, kichō curtain-screen motifs, chrysanthemum, and seigaiha wave bands in taupe, soft orange, and navy on ivory
Period: Late Meiji–Taisho, Japan (circa 1900–1926)
Dimensions: 156″L × 13″W (396 × 33 cm), standard obi size
Weight: ~3lbs
Condition: Expected age-related wear for a vintage silk textile — light soiling, occasional snagged or pulled threads, minor metallic-thread tarnish, and storage fold lines — with no notable tears, holes, or repairs unless otherwise noted.