Take a virtual tour of the Ruth Funk Designed to Mobilize Kimono Exhibit. Click here to view the tour. Http://click360.me/tours/funk/kimono
| Designed to Mobilize: Propaganda Kimono 1920 – 1945 showcases the complex visual vocabulary of Japanese wartime kimono and textile motifs. Textiles for civilian use were one of many forms of propaganda for Japan’s imperial and military projects between the late-19th and mid-20th centuries. The textiles feature imagery and symbols that affirm patriotism; communicate messages of unity; commemorate triumphs; showcase the military’s modernity, leadership, and discipline; glorify sacrifice; and celebrate the expansion of the empire. Propaganda textiles were by no means unique to Japan, but popular support for the war encouraged the spread of a diverse range of this kind of material. Grouped by iconographic themes, this exhibition focuses on motifs and metaphors displayed on under-robes (nagajuban) and jackets (haori and hanten) for adults, textile fragments, and children’s garments. These propaganda textiles were produced in Japan and its territories, by and for Japanese citizens. They were often commercially manufactured, with production driven by the market. As examples of “unofficial” propaganda, they demonstrate how the values of the state were supported across the populace and promoted by private individuals acting as both producers and consumers. As personal, intimate objects, worn by adults and children for daily and ceremonial use, these garments are compelling, and at times chilling, evidence of the militaristic ideals supported at every level of social and private life. |
