Archive for the 'Books' Category

“To dye for”

Monday, November 10th, 2008

One of the loveliest articles on kimono I’ve seen in a while, on a kimono artist I’ve admired for years: The San Diego Union-Tribune — To dye for: Itchiku Kubota’s works reach back to a mythic golden age of Japanese textiles. In 1937, a promising 20-year-old Japanese artist, Itchiku Kubota, paid a visit to the […]

Continue reading: “To dye for”

Digital Yukata

Tuesday, November 29th, 2005

Opening the kimono to everyone is an article about Frenchwoman Maia Maniglier’s introduction to and love affair with kimono. Today she is “a passionate kimono advocate who is now pushing the boundaries of kimono design by meshing traditional garment-making with cutting-edge digital printing.” At the end, Maniglier gives some basic useful tips for buying kimono […]

Continue reading: Digital Yukata

Kimono hime

Tuesday, November 15th, 2005

Princess Sayako of Japan is going to be married soon, and held a farewell ceremony in which she wore a beautiful juunihitoe. For a very different “kimono hime” (hime is Japanese for princess), scans of volumes 4 and 5 of the magazine have been posted to the LiveJournal group kimonoworld. Taisho chic with a modern […]

Continue reading: Kimono hime

Kimono arts on display

Saturday, August 13th, 2005

Those of you who can make it to Squamish, British Columbia are in for a treat: Kimono and fibre arts on display at the Squamish Library’s Foyer Gallery in a show named “Release”. From the article: Keiko Kiyota acquired her kimono making skill in Japan in a four-year apprenticeship to a master kimono maker. Utilizing […]

Continue reading: Kimono arts on display

Kawakatsu: Kimono (1936 and 1956)

Monday, March 15th, 2004

A few weeks ago I came across a vintage book published by the Japan Tourist Bureau in its English-language series on Japan, titled “Kimono” by Kenichi Kawakatsu (whose first name is also transliterated Ken-ichi). There are two editions, one published in 1936 and another in 1956. While there are other publishing dates, the first is […]

Continue reading: Kawakatsu: Kimono (1936 and 1956)

Review: “Symbols of Japan”

Friday, February 27th, 2004

o Symbols of Japan: Thematic Motifs in Art and Design, by Merrily Baird An encyclopedic volume that covers, in order: the cosmos, heaven, and earth; trees and their fruit; diverse plants; birds and insects; land and sea animals; demons, deities, and figural groups; religion and good fortune; objects of everyday life; music, board games, and […]

Continue reading: Review: “Symbols of Japan”

“Kimono” by Ito and Inoue

Wednesday, February 18th, 2004

This book was discovered on ebay by fellow kimono fan moonblossom, and can be found on: o Amazon.com: Kimono (currently unavailable, sometimes used copies will appear) o Amazon UK: Kimono (Special order. £7.95, or about US$15) Front cover. Originally published in 1979 by Hoikusha in their Color Books series (which includes such titles as Katsura, […]

Continue reading: “Kimono” by Ito and Inoue

Books on kimono and kitsuke

Wednesday, February 18th, 2004

A new category has been added: books! As I obtain more books related to kimono, and not just kitsuke, I thought it would be best to create this separate category. Previously reviewed books can be found at: o Basic kitsuke books o Advanced kitsuke books o English-language books on kimono If you’re looking for directions […]

Continue reading: Books on kimono and kitsuke