ONLINE ONLY ESTATE COLLECTABLE AUCTION
Thursday, 9 - Monday, 13 April 2026

Unused 1980's NISHIJIN TEXTILE (Kyoto) JAPANESE leaf pattern on mauve SILK ROLL. L.12m. W.360mm. New old stock

Lot Details

Provenance of these 1980’s Silk 12m x 0.36m rolls. Condition: Unused. Purchased in Kyoto November 2023 from the owners. Ex. Rouketsu Kimono Shop. Seen in attached 1985 photograph: Banner Sign inside Kintetsu Department store until 2007. Many have the original price tags of Kintetsu Department store in Kyoto. The average retail price was around $3000 NZ back in 1985~1992. When the Japanese economy crashed. Nothing much was sold for 35 years. Woven using Mulberry silk. Most rolls are in perfect condition having been waterproofed with Pearl Tone - a 75 year old process. This process prevents oxidisation - often seen as brown spots on paper and undyed silk. Gold stickers are a registered trademark that is given only to kimono that have passed the strict inspection standards set by each production area. The role of the stickers + seals and certificates is to show the value of a piece of work that is recognized as a traditional craft and a textile that has been inspected for quality by the weavers' association based on their standards. Red Silk stamps are quality & guarantee and there are also third party inspection and guarantee stamps. Pearl Tone stamps for a costly waterproofing treatment. Post war Silks were produced over 3 decades of high-speed development. The collapse of the asset price bubble in the early 1990s destroyed the Kimono economy. Now only the shape is kept. The Kimono Star will never fade entirely and the garment which evolved into the glory of the nation will always be mandatory at the highest cultural levels of an always very refined society.