Physical and Chemical Properties of Kimono Fabrics Dating from the Meiji Era

－ A Preliminary Investigation into their State of Degradation －

Abstract

  Natural and accelerated aging of silk often induce changes in the physical and/or chemical properties. The objective of this study was to measure the changes related to the degradation of silk of kimono fabrics dating from the Meiji era. Thirteen four crepe silk kimono fabric samples dyed with early synthetic dyes were subjected to various experimental techniques ranging from visual and microscopic observation to spectroscopic analysis. The observed macroscopic damage included fabric splits, fading or dye transfer, corrosion of the metal threads, and yarn and fiber fraying. In many samples, both the moisture regain and surface pH, as an empirical measure of the acidity of the fabric, were lower than those of modern silk. Under infrared spectroscopy, some samples showed characteristic spectral changes compared to modern silk. The observed changes in the chemical and physical properties of the older kimono samples might be, at least partly, attributed to their related structural changes in the degraded silk. The results also suggest varying degrees of degradation in the kimono samples, caused by more than 100 years of natural aging, use, and environmental factors.