Key Object Page

Tattoo of a Japanese Lady

This object is a portion of skin on which the image of a Japanese woman has been tattooed. She carries a parasol and wears a kimono layered over a nagajuban, a traditional long undergarment, the purple collar of which can be seen.

A kimono’s design is extremely important and relates strongly to the wearer’s status, age and wealth, with colours and patterns representing a range of meanings. While the design has faded through age and preservation, this kimono is decorated with flowers, possibly lavender asters or chrysanthemums, repeated in the motif at the base of the tattoo. Both are seasonal flowers, asters relating to Autumn and chrysanthemums to Winter.