that carried designs depicting scenes from contemporary life became popular in Japan between 1900 and 1945. Such designs are now known as omoshirogara — literally, "interesting" or "novelty" designs. They include traditional Japanese apparel worn by men, women and children, including nagajuban ; haori ; haura ; and miyamairi kimono. The designs that concentrate on reflecting military and political concerns in Japan during Japan's war years are commonly referred to as propaganda kimono. Omoshirogara garments were typically worn inside the home or at private parties, during which the host would show them off to small groups of family or friends.
History
Among the factors that led to the emergence of omoshirogara / propaganda kimonos, three stand out: the introduction of modern textile manufacturing and printing equipment into Japan in the late 19th century allowed textile manufacturers to produce printable apparel fabric more quickly and cheaply; the social and political impetus for Japan to modernize; and, following the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931, the political leadership's desire to rally the population in support of Japan's colonial expansion and, eventually, its war against the Allies. Much of the imagery used on propaganda kimonos was widely used on other media and consumer goods, such as popular magazines, toys, posters and dolls. Some of the typical omoshirogara designs from the early 1920s to the mid-1930s focused on the outward signs of modernity, depicting a sleek, westernized, consumerist future – cityscapes with subways and skyscrapers, ocean liners, steaming locomotives, sleek cars and airplanes, while others showed images reflecting current events and social tends, such as of images of the "modern girl" with symbols of the new pastimes she supposedly enjoyed, such as cocktails, nightclubs and jazz. But no matter whatthe subject, the designs employ a bold palette and show direct influences of social realism, Art Deco, Dadaist, and Cubist collage, early cartoons, and other graphic media. By the later 1920s and especially following the crash in 1929, conservative and ultra-nationalist forces in the military and government elites began to push back against the modernist trends and reasserted more traditional values. Military power, the will to use it, and the ability to manufacture its hardware became ever more central to Japan's self-image. As a result, the propaganda kimono designs took on an increasing militaristic air. It is only in recent years that scholars in Japan, Europe and the United States have begun to seriously study Japanese propaganda kimonos. In 2005, The Bard Graduate Center mounted one of the first major exhibits of these kimono, curated by Jacqueline M. Atkins, an American textile historian and recognized scholar of Japanese 20th century textiles. The exhibition also was shown at the Allentown Art Museum and the Honolulu Academy of Art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Johann Jacobs Museum, the Edward Thorp Gallery in New York City, and the Saint Louis Art Museum have mounted exhibits that have included propaganda kimono, and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts has received a significant donation of wartime and other omoshirogara kimono from an American collector.
