Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No566
Hello from Ichiroya.
***Here is a questionarie about Japanese Ryokan. The students from Kansai Universitiy(Osaka) would like this survey and we are wondering if you have a minute to answer about Japanese Ryokan, it will be very helpful for the students, domo arigatou gozaimasu.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1iDNqGh5rBOXPr69KktjnFyqeqzBnC_2RWIB8gY27M-Y/viewform
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Around 1950's and 1960's, spitz-a kind of dog, was very popular as a pet.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spitz
They have white fluffy hair and curly tail-kawaii look but they yelps so much, so I think they were considered to be good for guard dog. We could see spitz in neighborhood.
This obi was made from juban(underkimono) from aroud that age.
Iuchi Shoten, kimono company who makes charming casual kimono made this obi from the vintage juban we had.
Iuchi san, always say `sumimasen' (excuse me) before he talks, and he said `sumimasen' more than a dozen time before he said he wanted to borrow this juban. I was not sue what he was going to do.
Then, again with his sumimasen in very big voice, we saw this photo!
He surely used a magic! When we see something we cannot believe, we say, we are bewitched by a fox (Kitsune ni tsumamareru), but Iuchi san looks more like a plump racoon dog, but we weare bewitched by him! Spitz on Houmongi.
Spitz - seems to about to yelp- are on fukuroobi and also hanhaba obi.
Later, he showed me these items he made and we could see them in person. They are synthetic but the feel is much better now. The quality of the sysnthetic is far better than the ones we knew before. He says, the inkjet printing accuracy has improved drastically and with his passion of bringing back vintage design by reprinting, the new products became very nice and good quality.
He tried and made these points possible:
*colors came more vivid
*printing on fabrics became natural like printing on paper
*it became profitable even with small lot printing
*products can become available in a very short time
*it made is possible to make kimono or obi with ANY size using the software
He is a toprunner of this field with no doubt and starting several new project with this reprinting.
Of course it is very different from former and existing kimono everyone knows. For kimono craftsmen, they may not be kimono anymore.
Of couse we agree and the existing kimono value never changes. However, we think these synthetic reprinted pattern kimono must be good for younger generations to become curious and familiar to kimono. It is more like yofuku, modern clothing. You do not have to worry about care (that removes the barrier)and enjoy vintage desighn! What Iuchi san is making are the kind of kimono. We want everyone to realize the charms of vintage design, which are amazing.
The price of houmongi is not yet settled but fukuro obi and hanhaba obi are going to be sold in October.
Kyo-fukuro obi 20.000 yen
Hanhaba obi (narrow obi) 12.000 yen
We accept the reservation of these obi also. Please contact us if you are interested in these obi.
Iuchi san and I are thinking about selling to Gofukuya (kimono retailers), who are looking for kimono for younger people. We are all so excited to introduce these kimono and obi with amazing old design. We may be able to see many people happily wearing vintage design kimono!
