ICHIROYAのブログ

元気が出る海外の最新トピックや、ウジウジ考えたこととか、たまに着物のこと! 

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Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No. 486



I thought moderation is the best in everything, but I was wrong. Recently, I noticed something which are excessive or too much are appreciated in the world.

This kimono is the good example. This is a meisen kimono from pre WWII(might be from Taisho) but nobody could tell why there had to be giant persimmons. I think other motifs like apples, strawberries or grapes could have been more acceptable. Even cucumbers could be better.

It was the age of art nouveau. The designers at that age must have tried very hard to create new design with art nouveau atmosphere.

On the black color back ground, the persimmons look like oil painting touch with bold colors. The touch looks new and western taste but the motif is very Japanese!


We can see kaki(persimmon) here and there if you go to countryside. Many old houses have kai trees in their yard. The color of kaki fruits and old Japanese style houses are very typical autumn scenery for us.

 

Kaki are originally from China but the sweet kaki are endemic species from Japan. It used to be all shibugaki(astringent persimmon) but in 1214, at Ozenji temple n Kawasaki city, sweet kind of kaki have been born by mutation evolution, then the sweet kind of kaki spread all over Japan from then.

Dried kaki fruits are great reservative food too - hanging dried kaki fruits hung under eaves is the very nostalgic scenery for us. The tree can become wonderful timber for furniture, leaves can make tea...kaki is so useful.
The worth noting thing is persimmon tanin, made by fermented shibugaki(astringent persimmon). This is used as antiseptic agent from old times.

I did not know, dried kaki had a lot of carotenoid. The recent research told, carotinoid makes people more optimistic.

That was why we feel so happy on new years day- we eat a lot of dried kaki on Oshogatsu(New Year's Day), now I could understand that.

Is this kimono really fasninable or not? I really cannot tell. Who likes to wear this kimono and what people would have said when someone was wearing this kimono?

This meisen was kept carefully, and came to us, and I am pretty sure the kimono will keep giving people a surprise and making them puzzled from now on too ! The eccentric thing can remain in after ages, that is the life...