Have you always wanted to visit Japan but haven't found anyone to go with you? Join our group! I have two slots open for our May 2009 trip to Kyoto and want to fill them asap. Every year I take a group of kimono lovers (mostly woman, but not always) for eleven days (ten nights) in Kyoto from May 19-29th. We spend two days at two different temple markets (where you can buy all the kimonos your little suitcase can hold!), we take three workshops on textiles (dying, weaving, etc.), and we do some sight-seeing too. I lived in Kyoto for three years and love sharing some my favorite off-the-beaten-path places.

It's not a high end trip and it's not for everyone - there's a lot of walking, some floor-sitting, a fair amount of tofu(!), but never a dull moment! You'd have three free days to wander on your own and we'll help with arrangements for those days as well as reservations and information if you decide to stay a few days longer. There are a lot of photos and details on my website (www.kyotokimono.com)from previous trips to give you a better idea of the fun, but here are a few photos from last year to start you off:

At one of our delicious meals!


Last year we had a special treat - an evening with two maiko!


At our wax resist (roketsuzome)workshops:


And of course....the markets!


Yes, I have two slots left (there will be a total of six of us) and I'd like to get them filled asap. Payment terms are flexible. $2900 covers just about everything except airfare and what you decide to do on your three free days.

As you may know, "furi" means "long" and "sode" (pronounced so-day, since all of the syllables in Japanese are pronounced)means sleeve, so furisode literally means long-sleeved kimono. But a furisode itself says so much more!

Reserved for young unmarried women, this style of kimono is always elegant and has an air of allure and promise. These days, you'll still find young women wearing these on Adult's Day (also called Coming of Age Day, January 9th.) I have heard that the sleeves are sometimes ereferred to as "butterfly sleeves", which can be waved slowly, like a butterfly might do to attract a mate. As with any kimono, one can discern so much about the wearer and the event by the color, patterning and imagery in the design. Cranes or treasure cart wheels suggest the kimono was created for a wedding reception. Overall florals could be any season, butterflies are more often seen in summer, and bamboo and plum blossoms suggest the coming of spring.

Color may indicate season - these seem quite Autumn to me:


These, perhaps, for Winter:


And these, for Spring?


Do these seem summer-like to you?


Now here's a "test" for you....do you see the difference between the contemporary designs shown above and these two below?


What differences do you see? Notice the red lining that peeks out at the sleeve edge and collar to attract the eye to "the unseen beauty" and, with red, also to suggest something alluring. The patterning is also so subtle - only at the hemline and, on the black one, just a touch on the bottom of the sleeves. Understated and so elegant. These are likely from the 1920's (Taisho Period), long before women were so bold as to wear the brightest of colors and patterns. Notice the crests on these last two but missing from modern versions perhaps because they would not be seen with all the elaborate patterning! Think of a woman your grandmother's age, coming of age, in Japan in the 1920's.....

It's always fascinating to me what creative people
make with vintage kimono fabrics. I have a gallery
of examples on my website
http://www.kyotokimono.com/SewingCrafts/SewingCrafts.htm)
but here's a smattering of the variety...

Scarves from haori lining silks....


Fabric sculptures....


Figurine collages....


Doll clothes...


Some of these crafters are hobbyists, but others will consider commissions if you'd like something made...

If you'd like to try making something for yourself, I sell fabric bundles and even have a Bundle of the Month Club ($25 gets you a pound of assorted fabric each month) on my website:
http://www.kyotokimono.com/WhatsForSale/VarietyPackBundles.html

We also have a store on ebay where we sell just the kimono SLEEVES:
http://stores.ebay.com/kyoto-kimono-fabrics

Here's a quick post about the differences between some different types of casual kimono.

KIMONO is a general term used for any of the long style of Japanese traditional robes, but can also be used more loosely to describe other garments such as haori (a "kimono jacket"), hakama ("kimono pants" - OK, that's a stretch, but I've heard it!) or any of the styles "wedding kimono" (uchikake, kakeshita, shiromuku). To be sure, every "kimono" fits into a sub-category with a different Japanese name which describes more detail about the intended wearer, event, etc. For example, a tomesode is a kimono with family crests reserved for formal events:

....whereas a kosode is for more casual use, such as shopping or visiting friends.

You could google these terms to see the many different types of Japanese garments that might be called "kimono": furisode, juban, nagajuban, uchikake, kakeshita, miyamairi, haori, michiyuki, koto, kurosode, kosode, odori kimono, hanten, happi, neneko, yogi, dochiurgi, samue...

YUKATA is the term used for a specific style of cotton kimono, usually unlined, intended to be worn at summer festivals with a simple obi sash. Versions for women are often colorful florals but are also trditionally blue and white. Versions for men tend to be two-tone geometrics, though other darker colors and various designs are common these days. You might find cotton kimonos that are not yukata - that is, they may be for summertime or countryside wearing but do not have a "festive" patterning.


NEMAKI is the term for a cotton "lounging" kimono, used like a bathrobe. These are often used at resort and spas in Japan and they tend to be blue and white with a very small geometric repeated pattern. The sleeves are "western style" (narrow), there's at least one front patch pocket, and the belt is the same color as the robe and narrow. These aren't worn out of the house in Japan. Contemporary nemaki often have floral prints for women but keep the geometric prints for men.


Hope that's useful info! I have more info (and of course lots of kimono, yukata and nemaki for sale) on my website, www.kyotokimono.com.

The flash of gold or silver in the design of a Japanese kimono draws the eye, suggests wealth and class, and sparks another level of curiousity about the kimono wearer, her background, and where she's going so dolled up.

Although it may seem like a modern embellishment, use of gold and silver metalics are quite traditional in the world of kimono. There are four techniques I'd like to highlight here.

1. Woven Metalics
Believe it or not, silk threads are wrapped in gold or silver before they're woven into the kimono (or obi) fabric. They are used sparingly, normally to create shadow or a edged accent to the woven design on a darker color:


2. Embroidery
Of course, Japanese embroidery is an art unto itself. While I can't speak to the many techniques, I can recommend several books on the subject. (See the Books We Recommend link at www.kyotokimono.com). Except for wedding kimonos, which often have an overall embroidered pattern, embroidery on even the most formal (nonwedding) kimono is typically an accent embellishment. Couching is common, where gold wrapped silk threads are laid flat on the fabric and tacked down with contrasting thread (ususally orange) to border a petal, leaf, or other design elemant. (See far right image below.) Heavier embroidery is often used at petal edges on furisode (fanciery kimonos for young women) or tomesode (formal kimono for mature women).


3. Stenciling
Just as paint would be applied with a stencil, often gold or silver paint may be used, brushed on over top of the existing patterning, often within a cloud or other background or border design.


4. Metal Leaf
Sometimes the metalic is actually real gold or silver leaf - a tissue thin sheet of metal that is applied on top of an adhesive (I hate to say "glue") and then the excess is brushed away. This is usually used to outline a design detail and looks like a painted edging.

One of my favorite surface design techniques used by the Japanese to create beautiful kimonos is a wax resist method, similar to the batik of Indonesia, called roketsuzome (ro=wax, zome=dye). The wax can be applied by hand, but just as amazing are the rolled stencils that are used to create repeated patterning. The fabric is rolled across a wax-laden stencil carved from resin, wood, or other materials.


When the wax is heavily applied and allowed to crack (sometimes done on purpose), to create the spider-webby cracks that are typical of batik.


When the tax is applied by hand, more thinly, or not allowed to crack, the effect is softer, more mottled, and almost like a watercolor wash effect.


The patterning can be quite intricate, with different colors applied during different stages of the dying process.


I have been lucky enough to visit a roketsuzome studio for the last four years when we go to Kyoto each May. The owner, Yamamoto Sensei, and his family are always so gracious and helpful, but quite modest about his career carving stencils, creating kimono designs, and dying the fabric. I highly recommend spending an afternoon at his studio - you get to make your own roketsuzome souvenier, too! - but ask to see the binder of his work, try to peek into his workshop, and be sure to look UP to see if there are bolts of fabric stretched overhead, drying....

See their website at: http://www.roketsu.com/?ml_lang=en

Or see photos of our 2008 trip here on my website:
http://www.kyotokimono.com/KYOTOTRIP/2008Trip/2008photos.htm

I wanted to share this press release that details a new collection of unique Japanese textiles that was donated to UCLA's Fowler Museum by Jeff Krauss.

Kasuri is a type of ikat (sometimes called "fuzzy weave", where the threads are bound and dyed before weaving so that the design is revealed only after the fabric is woven together. Here is an example of a double ikat, where both the warp and weft threads have been dyed. See the "fuzziness" extending in both horizontal and vertical directions:


What Jeff specifically collected was "picture kasuri", where the design is a distinct image, such as animal, symbol of even a structure, in the battleship depicted below:


"E" means "picture" in Japanese and "kasuri" is pronounced "gasuri" when combined with the "e". (So E + kasuri is just pronounced egasuri.)

Jeff and his wife Fern went to Kyoto with our tour in 2004. His collection is quite extensive and unique, and I highly recommend seeing it. I am not sure of the exhibit detals for the Fowler, but it will be on loan to the Morikami Museum in Del Ray Beach Florida in 2010, so there's a chance for you East Coasters to see it too.

Here's a link to the press release about the donation:
http://www.fowler.ucla.edu/incEngine/sites/fowler/pdf/Kraussreleaseltr.pdf
http://www.newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/fowler-museum-at-ucla-receives-52482.aspx

And here is a link to photos of the collection - enjoy!
http://e-gasuri.com/

Today's lesson is a quick overview of the Japanese stencils, called Katagami. Traditionally they were made from heavy paper and coated with persimmon juice for strength. The patterns were made by hand with the design first drawn on the blank paper and then cut with punches or knives. Here are two examples:


This one is special because of the fine, reinforced paper that connects the stencil edges and also creates a brushstroke design for the image.


And this one actually even more cool - it uses fine wires to connect the stencil cuttings:


With detailed designs, a screen of silk threads was added to hold the delicate pieces in place - you can see the screen on the right below.


Here is a great example of a punch hole stencil:



And here are some images of kimono fabric designed using katagami:




There aren't many books in English on Katagami but one that is fantastic is "Carved Paper", by Suzanna Campbell Kuo et al. See more on my website books page: http://www.kyotokimono.com/Books.html

The traditional fabric binding technique known as shibori in Japan is often called "Japanese tie-dye" - but that's like calling sake "rice wine" -- it's just that we don't have a better word for it. Technically yes, in both cases the fabric is bound, dipped in dye, and the binding is released to reveal a pattern. But there are dozens of Japanese shibori techniques - wrapping around a pole, sewing tiny gatherings, folding and pressing between boards, and many, many more - each creates a different look and feel. The puckering found in tiny kanoko "fawn spots" dotted shibori (which even today associated with the Kyoto region) is beloved and sought out. Dry cleaning is supposed to retain the pucker.

It is a painstaking process to hand tie each little dot, then to dip the fabric, and perhaps release some threads but not others to create a two toned pattern.


Sometime the use of multiple colors is very subtle-


On the left is a gathered and wrapped technque.
On the right, kanoko (tiny dot) technique used overall and to create a floral pattern.


More kanoko....


And finally....since the shibori patterning is so highly regarded, it is imitated often - either printed or, as is done below, by stencil!


There are a lot of books on shibori in the Japanese tradition - I recommend a few in particular on my website: http://www.kyotokimono.com/Books.html

Japanese family crests, called mon or kamon, were adopted centuries ago to distinguish different armies on the battlefield - crests were placed on large banners as well as on the armor of the officer and soldiers. From the aristocracy, kamon were eventually adopted by commoner families.

In my business, where I see hundreds of kimonos with crests each year, I never cease to be fascinated by the fine detail of the work and am always thrilled to come across a new image.

Here are some examples taken from formal men's kimono:
The most common motifs are floral or fauna (butterflies and birds, mostly):



In Japan, a particular crest can be associated with several different family names, and a single motif can be modified from generation to generation, branch to branch. For example, the tomoe (commas) motif is a common one, and could appear with or without a border, as one, two or three commas, etc.



There is no relation between the image used on the crest and the pronounciation of the family name, but sometimes you might see a crest that has something to do with the occupation of the family. Fabric dyers might have chosen a water symbol, farmers might have chosen rice shaft imagery, and while man-made items are rarely used, well covers are not uncommon and occasionally tool images might be used.

This border symbolized a wooden well cover:



and here are two man-made items: arrow tail feathers and a nail puller (from construction trades)


In Japan, a family crest these days would be used on more formal kimono, perhaps on the roof tiles of wealthier families, on wedding invitations and birth announcements, gift wrapping cloths (furoshiki) and other formal situations and important items.

The crests are drawn by hand or with a stencil on kimonos:



There are three levels of formality (in addition to the many types of informal kimono which do not have crests) indicated by the number of crests. The first level is a single crest at the back of the neck; the next level adds two more crests -- one on the back of each sleeve; and the highest level adds two more crests -- one at the front on each side of the collar.

Wikipedia offers a nice reference under "Japanese mon":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mon_%28crest%29

and there are many books on Amazon.com but I like The Elements of Japanese Design - see the Recommended Books page on my website:
http://www.kyotokimono.com/Books.html

Back to Kyoto for the second time, Kathy Lenard knew what she wanted, and she wanted an ozashiki. Ozashiki is an evening of private audience with and entertainment by a traditional Japanese geisha. Kathy arranged for this evening in advance via the internet and treated the entire group to an experience of a lifetime. Our geisha were actually maiko - apprentice geisha - and their beauty and grace was almost startling. The minutes were filled with a subtle delicacy, an understated importance, a complicated simplicity. It was the highlight of the trip for many of us, as something few tourists are able to arrange, and even fewer can appreciate.

We had a great time - and welcome others to join us each May. Visit www.kyotokimono.com to see photos and details.

Paula loves Paris and visits there as often as she can. But somehow Japan also draws her, and our May 2008 Kyoto Kimono buying trip offered her several new experiences that even France can't match.

The food - well, one can't compare apples and oranges, sake and wine, sushi and croissants - but the fare was diverse, identifiable (for the most part) and delicious. While she may have experienced tofu-overload after a week, Paula was game to try food-on-stick, and was not disappointed. In fact, Paul provided the humor while the cooks kept the skewered treats coming.

Her workshop creations - a gorgeous lacey shawl and a fun indigo noren - will be souvenirs that I'm sure rival her Gucci Boutique purchases from Paris!

On our tour to Kyoto in May 2008, we were happy to have writer Marilyn Millstone among us. As the rest of us renewed our love for Kyoto, Marilyn discovered it for the first time. Being with someone on her first journey to Japan meant nonstop delight in the oooh's and aaah's of every turn. Lest we forget to stop and admire the artistry of the manhole covers, breathe deeply at the fish market, or smile indulgently at the Japlish signs which offer us a "Happy Thank You", Marilyn kept us in the very present moment.

She enjoyed the textile workshops, the temple and the tea...and more....




Marilyn intends to write an article about her experience in Kyoto, and we'll link to it when it is published. In the meantime, check out her latest article in American Style:

http://americanstyle.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=C7AFF906A1F74D05AD60988473624046

One of our Kyoto Trip members this year was Carolyn; and it was her second time to Japan. She first visited me when I lived there in the mid-1990's. Just this year Carolyn became the Southern California Rep for Kyoto Kimono - vending at quilt shows, anime conventions, trunk shows, cultural festivals, and more. http://www.kyotokimono.com/WhoWeAre/CarolynMcBridePage.htm

She has a very spiritual background already, so easily took to the rituals and customs of Japan. No stranger to textiles, she also enjoyed the roketsuzome (wax resist) dying work shop we did (click here to go to the links page on my website - half way down is the workshop website: http://www.kyotokimono.com/links.html ). And she took hundreds of beautiful photos - some of which will be seen on our website in the coming weeks.




It's possible to spend years in Kyoto and never do the same thing twice.

Every May I return to Kyoto to absorb the nutrients that are only offered by Kyoto in the springtime. It's my annual buying trip, and I bring a small group of textile or kimono enthusiasts with me to learn, play, and fall in love with Japan.

This year there were six of us together for ten days, each seeing Kyoto through her own lens. One member of our group, Pira, saw beauty created by shadows, textures and angles - and she captured them beautifully with her camera. Here are just a few... Enjoy!




In my next post, I'll offer you a glimpse of another trip member...