- A black silk montsuki kimono with 5 mon (crests). Montsuki are formal kimonos with one, three or five mon (crests). The more mon it has, the more formal it is.
- This looks very stylish worn with a long sleeved sweater or tee shirt under it, the ends of the sleeves showing at the wrists
- May have shitsuke stitching around the edge; shitsuke is loose, temporary stitching that the Japanese put in to keep edges neat during storage, it just gets pulled out before wearing
- Montsuki kimono. Monsuki garments are formal, with mon (crests); they have one, three or five mon, the more mon it has, the more formal an occasion it may be worn at
- Awase (lined).
Condition:
Excellent
Measurements:
Sleeve end to sleeve end 134cm
Sleeve seam to sleeve seam 65cm
Sleeve depth 50.5cm
Length 141cm
5 Mon Montsuki Kimono
Kimono require a sash to hold them closed, this is always bought separately. Men usually wear a kaku obi with their kimono or, casually at home, a soft heko obi.
Sizing: Japanese clothing is usually of adjustable fit, being mostly wrap-over or tie-to-fit items, so most garments fit a range of sizes.
I can't really advise anyone on the fit. Please judge fit from the measurements given. Check length given for the garment, then measure from base of back of your neck down to judge that length on you. Measure from centre back of neck, along shoulder and down the arm to the wrist, then double that and compare it with the sleeve end measurement to judge sleeve length.
Storage: Hang up your garment for a few hours prior to wearing, to remove fold creases. They should also be hung out to air 4 times per year, if not worn frequently. Hang your garment to air for a day or so immediately after purchase too, as it will have been stored for a while. Some of my Japanese garments have white stitching (shitsuke) round the outside edges to keep the edges flat during long periods of storage, these stitches just get pulled out before wearing the garment.
Cedarwood or lavender essential oil keeps moths away, but don't get it on the fabric, apply near it or on a tissue nearby.
Cleaning: Be very cautious about washing kimonos. All cleaning is done entirely at your own risk, as is standard with all vintage garments and items. I would advise only dry cleaning for silk ones and for most synthetic ones, cotton ones may be dry cleanable too but select your dry cleaner carefully and take their advice before deciding if you want to try dry cleaning it. Some synthetic textile or cotton kimonos can be gently hand washed but the dyes can run even in some of those, so consider that before washing but, if you decide to wash, only cool hand wash very gently, using detergent specially for colours. All forms of cleaning are done at own risk.
Colour: Please be aware that different monitors display colour slightly differently, therefore the colour in the photos and description is a guide only.