Vintage Japanese Silk Fukuro Obi Embroidered Phoenix Peony Blossom 13'L

Vintage Japanese Fukuro Obi (袋帯) — Silk Brocade with Hō-ō Phoenix, Peony & Plum Blossom on Ivory Ground

Japan, mid-20th century (Shōwa period), estimated
156″L × 13″W (396 × 33 cm)

This is a fukuro obi, a formal single-sided obi lighter in construction than a maru obi but still fully finished for tying into a wide, structured knot. The pattern is placed only at the two working ends of the sash — the sections that show as the taiko (back panel) and mae-jime (front panel) when the obi is tied — while the long central length remains plain ivory silk, exactly as intended for this style of construction.

At each end, a pair of hō-ō (phoenix) perch on flowering branches of peony and plum blossom, worked in fine polychrome brocade and embroidery threads — coral orange, blue-violet, teal, and gold — against the ivory satin ground. The hō-ō is a mythical bird associated with virtue, renewal, and imperial nobility in Japanese textile symbolism, and its pairing here with peony (wealth and honor) and plum blossom (resilience, early renewal) is a classically auspicious combination favored for bridal and formal obi.

Fukuro obi were developed as a somewhat lighter, more wearable alternative to the fully patterned maru obi while remaining formal attire, and this example's dense figural brocading at both ends reflects a level of handwork typical of higher-grade formal pieces rather than everyday wear.

Form: Fukuro obi (single-sided formal obi), pattern at both ends, plain body between
Construction/Decoration: Silk brocade and embroidery; hō-ō phoenix pairs on peony and plum-blossom branches, ivory satin ground
Period: Shōwa period, Japan (mid-20th century)
Dimensions: 156″L × 13″W (396 × 33 cm)
Weight: ~3lbs
Condition: Bright, clean color throughout. 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.