Prized Textiles

Textile with Floral Vines, Named "Bamboo Vine Damask"
China, Passed down by the Maeda clan, Ming dynasty, 15th–16th century

Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 5
August 5, 2025 (Tue) - November 3, 2025 (Mon)

In Japan, “prized textiles” (meibutsu gire) are textiles that have been collected and admired by tea masters, who used them to make pouches for tea utensils. They also used these textiles to frame works of calligraphy and painting for display in teahouses.

The textiles come from various regions including China, India, and Iran. They range from plain-weave silk to elaborate damask and gold brocade. In Japan, some of these textiles were given names based on their previous owners or the Buddhist temples where they were stored.

Major Work(s) on Exhibit 2 results

	Designation	Name	Creation/ Excavation/ Provenance	Period	Acquisition/ Ownership/ Accession Number	CMT
Highlight		Textile with Floral Vines, Named "Bamboo Vine Damask"	China, Passed down by the Maeda clan	Ming dynasty, 15th–16th century	TI-336
Highlight		Textile with Carp among Waves, Named "Araiso Damask"	China	Ming dynasty, 16th century	TI-29

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