This rare style of formal Geisha antique dancing kimono features yuzen-painted depictions of geishas dancing and playing music, occasionally enhanced with touches of embroidery. It displays five mon and measures 52 inches (132 cm) from sleeve-end to sleeve-end, with a height of 71 inches (180 cm).

The design, a checkerboard-type pattern, was popular among some Edo-period Kabuki actors and was also observed on kimonos worn by geisha and oiran dating from the 1880s to about 1905.

This artwork is featured on page 73 of Art Kimono: Aesthetic Revelations of Japan, 1905-1960. This book, published by Yorke Antique Textiles, can be previewed or purchased on our website here.