Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.770
Photo from Sheila Kimono Style
SHEILA KIMONO STYLE：かもめの本棚 online
Hello from Yuka. Do you remember about this book I introduced in our past newsletter?
(Here is the past NL about her previous book, Social Life of Kimono)
kyouki.hatenablog.com
I was so impressed by this book (Social Life of Kimono) written by Sheila san. The book was based on her research of kimono world, she covered not only the history and present situation in kimono industry in Japan but also the movement of kimono wearers both in Japan and all over the world. This time I would liketo introduce her new book, which is totally different from the previous one.
The new book is her kimono style book with full of photos taken by her friend photographer, Todd Fong. The photos were taken in her neighborhood or near her university (she is a professor at Jumonji Gakuen Women's University), so they look supernatural, and we can tell she is really enjoying kimono in her everday life.
Why did she published this new book?
`In English there is a well-known saying, a picture paints a thousand words. But I think that you can speak thousands of words without being able to express the beauty of kimono. That is the main reason why I decided to make this photo book'(from her book)
Each photo shows her own kimono coordinations. We felt so happy and honored, she wore many obi and kimono from Ichiroya too, including the furisode she is wearing (the photo on the top).
She wears kimono almost everyday, here are some photos from the book and you can see the changing of the seasons by her coordinations.
I like the photo of her in furisode (on top) with her beaming smile but also I like this photo too, it is a real natural scene from everyday life.
Each style has flow and her love of kimono is showing!
She loves both old and new kimono- she treasures kimono from Meiji era(Meiji 1868-1912) and also tries punk kimono fashion with leather belt.
In her previous book, her research and the viewpoint of kimono in social life showed us the reality of kimono. As you may know, we tend to have fixed idea about our own culture. Kimono were aound and the existence of kimono is getting less and less as time goes by but oh, well, that's what happens-that kind of mood is what most people have, I think.
Sheila calls herself 'a kimono trend hunter'.
`For kimono to survive as fashion and not as some kind of art object, it is necessary to grasp trends, people's kimono lifestyles, and the needs of kimono end-users. '
To spread the information, she started her project called `The Kimono Closet'.
She is examining the kimono closets of fifty Japanese women from their 20s to there 80s. She visits their homes, count the numbers and types of kimono, note where they came from and how they are stored. Besides that, she asks participants to tell her their problems with kimono life and the stories of kimono that have special meanings for them. Not the annual kimono sale numbers but she is collecting the real voice from the individual's closet! That must tell what is really happening. We have this contradiction - kimono are pretty, precious and have memories of mothers, grandmothers but kimono are not really convenient, nor easy to wear (needs a lot of care!).
Her book is inspiring and fun to show kimono as fashion. A young girl who was not interested in kimono at all, saw the book and says `KAWAII!!' For her, the book was a fun fashion book.
I am sure you enjoy the book, and in between photos, she writes her message very clearly both in English and Japanese. Enjoy!
Finally, the furisode is finished!
We have a most exceptional vintage furisode--this furisode has many enchanting birds and gorgeous flowers which are dyed. It is just awesome, words can never describe the real beauty of this furisode. The elaborate work of details-it is breathtaking.
We hope you enjoy the photos of our treasure.
It has no flaw, in excellent condition. One of our customer ordered this furisode and we were so happy the furisode was just finished.
Yes, we made this furisode from a real vintage furisode-we reproduced the image and it is possible now to make same image furisode with other back ground color too.
The original vintage furisode had red back ground color. We have made the original color one too but to see the same design with black back ground color, it was first time and it was just breathtaking.
The original vintage furisode is of course the exceptional piece and we treasure it from now on too.
And now, if you wish to wear this furisode or display in your room, it is possible. We will be happy to make another furisode for you.
Just contact us, info@ichiroya.com
Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.769
Dear Newsletter readers,
Hello, this is Mari.
It is fall in Japan. Cool and tasty season!
I love to eat! Since I'm from northern Japan where is famous
for rice, I'm excited to eat newly croped rice so much!
Yum, yum!
It is fall in Japan. Cool and tasty season!
I love to eat! Since I'm from northern Japan where is famous
for rice, I'm excited to eat newly croped rice so much!
Yum, yum!
In November, we cerebrate "Shichigosan".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shichi-Go-San
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shichi-Go-San
Generally speaking, girls at 3 and 7 years old, boys at 5 years old wear
formal kimono, and go to shrine in their community to pray for
their healthy grow.
formal kimono, and go to shrine in their community to pray for
their healthy grow.
Girls enjoy wearing kimono and putting make up on them.
I still remember that I felt very special in my bright green kimono which I wore
when I cerebrated Shichigosan at 7 years old.
I still remember that I felt very special in my bright green kimono which I wore
when I cerebrated Shichigosan at 7 years old.
In the picture, me and my younger sister are posing like "Maiko" in
kimono. Girls can do this when they are dressed up.
Boys seem don't like to dress up. When my sons went to a shrine in kimono when they
were 5 years old, they were not very much excited at the begining. However, after a shiny sword
was handed to them, they started posing like a samurai! That's so boys!
They enjoyed to be a little samurai so much!
kimono. Girls can do this when they are dressed up.
Boys seem don't like to dress up. When my sons went to a shrine in kimono when they
were 5 years old, they were not very much excited at the begining. However, after a shiny sword
was handed to them, they started posing like a samurai! That's so boys!
They enjoyed to be a little samurai so much!
画像：rio_shichigosan
I love to see those little princess and samurai in kimono in November.
I pray for their healthy grow from the bottom of my heart.
I pray for their healthy grow from the bottom of my heart.
Do you want your kids to wear kimono?
Since kids eat, jump, fall down and cry, it is risky to put silk kimono on them.
No worry! We carry polyester kids kimono! It is a lot easier to take care of it!
Since kids eat, jump, fall down and cry, it is risky to put silk kimono on them.
No worry! We carry polyester kids kimono! It is a lot easier to take care of it!
Even though you don't go to shrine, it is still good to just take pictures of your
children or grand children in kimono!
children or grand children in kimono!
Thank you for reading my newsletter! See you next time!
Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.768
Konnichiwa everyone! Ogenki desuka?
This is Yoko writing this week's newsletter. Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. :)
Typhoon season seems to be finally over, and I am starting to enjoy the smell of Autumn, crispness in the air and changes in colors of the leaves.
Above all, Danjiri is going to happen this weekend, and it looks like the weather is going to be really nice throughout the weekend. Yokatta!
This is Yoko writing this week's newsletter. Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend. :)
Typhoon season seems to be finally over, and I am starting to enjoy the smell of Autumn, crispness in the air and changes in colors of the leaves.
Above all, Danjiri is going to happen this weekend, and it looks like the weather is going to be really nice throughout the weekend. Yokatta!
Personally, I think this time of year is the best time to visit Japan.
Weather is not too cold, high humidity has gone, and above all, food tastes great in Autumn! Onaka ippai!!
My kids love Nabe pot dishes and Takoyaki, especially when the weather is cold.
Weather is not too cold, high humidity has gone, and above all, food tastes great in Autumn! Onaka ippai!!
My kids love Nabe pot dishes and Takoyaki, especially when the weather is cold.
Did you know that almost all household in Osaka have Takoyaki maker at home?
We had Takoyaki for dinner just yesterday, and instead of Tako, octopus, we put ingredients like diced cut sausages, natto, cheese, and Kimchee in our Takoyaki.
I also love Kimchee Nabe! (yes I like spicy food), and I enjoy putting Tofu, green onions, bean sprouts, cabbage and ramen noodles together in Nabe. Are you getting hungry yet??
We had Takoyaki for dinner just yesterday, and instead of Tako, octopus, we put ingredients like diced cut sausages, natto, cheese, and Kimchee in our Takoyaki.
I also love Kimchee Nabe! (yes I like spicy food), and I enjoy putting Tofu, green onions, bean sprouts, cabbage and ramen noodles together in Nabe. Are you getting hungry yet??
Oh! by the way! did you notice that we lowered prices of some of our Kimonotte items?
All Haneri and Obiage are now US $16 each!!! Sugoi!
All Haneri and Obiage are now US $16 each!!! Sugoi!
Even if you see some are already sold out, we can still print them right here in our building, so please feel free to inquire us.
I am sure you have seen our new set of three Kimonotte Koshihimo?
Most have already been sold, but we are making more with different patterns now, so please keep an eye out for our new listings!!!
Yoroshiku Onegai Shimasu!
Yoroshiku Onegai Shimasu!
https://goo.gl/cTTY5t Haneri
https://goo.gl/2hn8gh Obiage
https://goo.gl/hsnrJA Koshihimo
By the way! have you been to the Nishijin Kaikan, Nishijin Textile Center, in Kyoto?
I heard that this place is one of the places that foreign tourists want to visit the most.
This place introduce beauty of Nishijin weaving and exhibit gorgeous Kimono and Obi. They even have Kimono shows!!
If you get a chance to visit Japan, this place is a MUST place to go!!!
Here are some of our items of Nishijin.
I will post some photos of Danjiri Matsuri in my next newsletter!
Thank you so much for reading til the end!
Have a wonderful weekend!
This is Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.767
Dear Ichiroya newsletter readers,
Hello! This is Nagisa writing. How have you been? By the way, do you like traveling? One hot summer day, I was looking Instagram, and got to know a former NFL player, Arian Foster had been in Japan. He was a member of my favorite team, Houston Texans! 'OMG! Arian Foster is in Japan, and headed to Nagoya!' I posted it immediately on twitter. 'Ohhhhh my goodness! seriouslyyyyy?' Then, I received a reply from my twitter's follower who is a huge Texans fan lives in Nagoya. He had no sooner known about that than he dressed up in the Texans T-shirt and headed to Nagoya station. I watched over him on twitter, and marked the player's movement on Instagram. I got very excited even though I had no opportunity to meet that player directly. He maybe shouldered Japanese Texans fan's passion on himself. However, the player was gone just before the follower arrived at the station. Oh, sigh... After that, I had a chance to go to Nagoya last month due to my private matters, so I went to see the same view which I saw on his Instagram story. It was just a pharmacy, though.
By the way, I love traveling, too! This year, I went to many places such as Yokohama, Okinawa, and Saku Island other than Nagoya which I haven't been there before. Autumn is good season for traveling, isn't it? The other day, I went to Asuka village with my friend. Asuka-mura is a small village surrounded mountains where is located in the middle area of Nara prefecture. It was once a capital of Japan about 100 years around 6th century. It says that Japanese history has started from here, and the place name is always appeared on textbook. This village has an old history, and there are a lot of historical remains. However, we both are not interested about history. Shotoku-Taishi, Sogano-Iruka, Horyu-Ji... Oh, they gives me a headache...!
Hello! This is Nagisa writing. How have you been? By the way, do you like traveling? One hot summer day, I was looking Instagram, and got to know a former NFL player, Arian Foster had been in Japan. He was a member of my favorite team, Houston Texans! 'OMG! Arian Foster is in Japan, and headed to Nagoya!' I posted it immediately on twitter. 'Ohhhhh my goodness! seriouslyyyyy?' Then, I received a reply from my twitter's follower who is a huge Texans fan lives in Nagoya. He had no sooner known about that than he dressed up in the Texans T-shirt and headed to Nagoya station. I watched over him on twitter, and marked the player's movement on Instagram. I got very excited even though I had no opportunity to meet that player directly. He maybe shouldered Japanese Texans fan's passion on himself. However, the player was gone just before the follower arrived at the station. Oh, sigh... After that, I had a chance to go to Nagoya last month due to my private matters, so I went to see the same view which I saw on his Instagram story. It was just a pharmacy, though.
By the way, I love traveling, too! This year, I went to many places such as Yokohama, Okinawa, and Saku Island other than Nagoya which I haven't been there before. Autumn is good season for traveling, isn't it? The other day, I went to Asuka village with my friend. Asuka-mura is a small village surrounded mountains where is located in the middle area of Nara prefecture. It was once a capital of Japan about 100 years around 6th century. It says that Japanese history has started from here, and the place name is always appeared on textbook. This village has an old history, and there are a lot of historical remains. However, we both are not interested about history. Shotoku-Taishi, Sogano-Iruka, Horyu-Ji... Oh, they gives me a headache...!
We headed to the Ishibutai stone tomb by bus. Our first destination was the scarecrow festival. Red spider lilies are in full bloom, and various scarecrows are lined in the rice fields... I saw the beautiful scenery on Instagram for certain. However, There were not so much spider lilies, and not any scarecrows. That's strange... but, it's OK! We had one more destination where I found it on Instagram. So, we took the bus again, and headed to Okadera station to go to Okadera temple. A fantastic illumination event should have held there, but there was no one else but us at the station. That's really strange... Also, we found a tragic guide. It was said that 'It takes about 1 hour by foot from here to Okadera temple. There is no bus and taxi service.' 1 hour by foot? No way! ...but it was also said that 'about 2.9 km'. We discussed and decided. 'Let's go to the temple!' We headed to the temple by foot in desperation, and we just thought that it must take us about 30 minutes. We walked and walked as much as possible in the dark night for very, very, beautiful lights... However, Okadera temple did not show up in front of us finally. It should be a phantom temple, maybe, I had not enough belief in the temple, I think so. Anyway, I need to make a preliminary, check a map, and believe a guidance!
< Scarecrow Design Nagoya Obi >
< Nara Scenery Design Fukuro Obi >
< Countryside Scenery Design Items >
Speaking of Instagram, did you notice the new function of Ichiroya's Instagram account? If you find a favorite item, please tap the item. You can buy it directly from Instagram! Let's try it!
Thank you for reading till the end. That said, I enjoyed the day trip, because there were some other beautiful sceneries which were not posted on Instagram. I was purely moved the beauty of great nature. I wanted to post some photos on Instagram, but there were no Instagenic photos in my photo folder. I need to improve photo skills, too!
Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.766
Konnichiwa, Ichiroya News Letter readers!
How are you doing? This time Mitsue is writing.
The season has completely turned to autumn, and the weather is comfortable in Osaka. Autumn is good season to enjoy art, music, reading and eating. Though I enjoy them all around a year, I often visit museums in autumn. Also enjoying Chinese tea is one of my favorite, a different way of serving from Japanese one. May be I will talk about this issue some day, but this time let me show you wonderful art crafts.
The other day I visited an exhibition of Shanghai Jushu embroidery works in Osaka. 'Jushu' literally means carpet embroidery. I was so surprised at them, because they looked like paintings! They are called "Oil painting of the East" which is registered in Chinese nation grade Intangible Cultural Heritage. Shanghai developed rapidly after the Opium War in 1984 as a center of transportation of coastal area. So Western culture entered to China and many artists gathered in Shanghai. As a result, new cultural art of fusion of Western and Eastern was born. Tapestry has been a representative art craft of East-West trade. Now high quality embroidery art crafts are made in Shanghai including Jushu embroidery works. 100% wool threads are used according to the process like this.
1. Rough sketch is drown to the net fabric of Asa.
2. Wool threads are dyed by hand and dried.
3. Lining is attached to the net fabric and stretched tightly.
4. Stitch with various techniques.
The shade of threads is adjusted by its dipping time on high temperature and proportion of water. Photos are allowed to be taken, so I introduce some pieces which are impressive symbolizing of China.
There are also works which reproduce the paintings of such as Gogh, Vermeer and Klimt. They are exactly like the real ones though I have never seen yet...(-_-;)
Though Ichiroya has no items of Jushu embroidery work, I introduce Soshu embroidery works. It is one of the three major Chinese embroidery technique with Sagara and Swatow. Soshu embroidery works use 100% silk threads to express gracefulness and elegance.
Fukuro obi
Tsukesage
Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.764
Dear Newsletter readers.
Hi, this is Azusa writing. How are you?
Autumn has at last arrived here and we have a fine crop of rice in Japan. I like autumn best of all the seasons because it's comfortable and we have a lot of tasty food.
In Osaka, we have autumn festivals for the celebration of a good harvest. There are a lot of festivals in Japan, and the autumn festival is well-known in Osaka. People are marching through the city towing a festival float. They are very enthusiastic, and they even practice singing songs for many weeks for the festival, which is held only once a week.
But in the elementary school I went, the situation was a little different.
It was like the autumn festival was held in my class all year round. A lot of students were singing the festival songs and beating a desk like it is a drum all the time, during the recesses, lunchtime and even in the class hours. The lyrics of the songs are to express gratitude for rices. When they were in the music room, they would play the songs on the piano with an index finger, and sing the songs. The students and teachers love the festival very much, and were thankful to rices, I assume.
It would be great to visit Japan in autumn! Would you like to eat good rice or see the autumn festivals in kimono?
