Cosmetics Container (Teika Donsu)

The original piece is an elegant and a dignified "donsu" (a type of damask) depicting the patterns of double-stem curving tendrils with chrysanthemum and peony flowers by a whitey-brown color yarn in a light-green ground color fabric. It is said that the name indicates that it was a possession of Teika-dayū, a courtesan of the highest rank at Shimabara in Kyoto, who used this cloth for her "uchikake", an outer kimono, but it is uncertain, The original piece is a magnificent work, presumably made in the beginning of Ming Dynasty China (1368-1644, A.D.) judging from its weaving technique. We have woven this fabric in our modern sensibility leaving the artistic effect as it originally was.