Obi
Tsumugi (waste silk) warps, paper wefts
Double faced weave

With the rise of militarism in Japan in the early 20th century, political themes, including soldiers, maps of Asia, flags, tanks, ships and planes became popular on clothing. One child’s kimono even featured a dog wearing a gas mask.

Supplying the military expansion meant that many commodities became scarce to civilians, and low quality goods circulated widely. Although this obi may well have paper wefts because more traditional materials were unavailable at the time, the material is nevertheless very soft and supple, and the graphic design is visually very appealing.