If you are contemplating a trip to Nagasaki between November 11–17 and are interested in Japanese culture and costume history, there is a wonderful place you may want to stop by. A private collection of antique kimono will be on display in a century-old property. The collection belongs to Akemi Tagawa, and I asked her how she came to gather these amazing garments.
Tagawa loves antique kimono for their innovative designs and use of color. She began collecting them about 18 years ago. Even a brief glance at the collection will confirm that her comments about the design and colour are accurate.
The variety of patterns on these older kimono is astonishing, almost challenging our ideas of what is suitable for clothing in today's increasingly plain and subdued fashion world. Tagawa loves wearing kimono, and her short stature makes it easy for her to wear antique garments.
Many older kimono are rather small, and it is difficult for many women to wear them as they are meant to be worn. This is not a problem for Tagawa. She was influenced by the styling of the famous collector Shigeko Ikeda, whose immense collection of Meiji, Taisho and Showa era kimono have been shown in many department store galleries in Japan.
Inspired by Tradition
Just before the COVID-19 pandemic, Tagawa began showing her collection and opened a shop where people can buy antique kimono. She also offers a service where people can experience dressing in a kimono and having photographs taken. Many people come from other countries to dress in kimono for photographs.
Tagawa says that today, many people are unaware that such great designs and wonderful textile techniques were produced a hundred years ago. She wants people now and, in the future, to connect with the kimono which she sees as an important cultural heritage. According to Tagawa, that they are Japanese treasures that we should cherish.
A Timeless Setting
This autumn's exhibition will be held at the beautiful Ryotei Harumi, a property that was once a high-class Japanese restaurant. Surrounded by gardens, with many tatami rooms, and standing for over a hundred years, it is the perfect setting for viewing these century-old garments. The plain, empty spaces ensure that attention is focused on the stunning colors and patterns on display.
Nagasaki was historically the gateway to Japan. During the Edo period, it was the only place with significant numbers of non-Japanese residents. Portuguese and Dutch traders were housed on Dejima island, and brought many foreign goods, including textiles from India, Indonesia and also Europe and China. They were then carried to Edo and other areas in Japan.
This heritage is expressed in many designs on kimono and obi. The Kunchi festival continues to display some unusual and interesting sartorial customs from Nagasaki.
Tagawa has divided her collection into four themed rooms. In the Nagasaki themed room are designs specifically relating to the history of the city, such as an obi with a Dejima motif painted on it, and kimono bearing images of foreign traders arriving. Masks of the kinds that are seen at the Kunchi festival are also displayed. The items show pride in the city of Nagasaki.
Stories in Fabric
The war-themed room includes kimono, obi, and underwear featuring war-related imagery. Maps, flags, planes and warships adorn these garments. In contrast to modern-day fast fashion, these pieces demonstrate that garments can be produced in a very specific time and place and express strong feelings of nationalism. They are important historical documents as well as garments, and seeing such designs on women's kimono is quite rare.
The meisen room is all about the meisen technique of production. Meisen was the first type of mass-produced silk kimono, created for everyday wear in the Kanto region. It was very popular in the 1920s and 30s for its amazing bright and colourful, modern designs and was worn by over half of Japanese women at the time.
Artisans' Skills on Display
In contrast to traditional seasonal flower motifs, meisen showed popular characters, music, buildings, crowns and many other original items in the designs. The variety of the designs has made it popular to this day and it has been shown in many galleries around the world.
The elegant ladies themed room is where formal clothing for ceremonies such as weddings and coming of age are shown. These garments would have been commissions made for wealthy customers. They demonstrate the skills of yuzen artisans and embroiderers in their expressions of plants and sometimes animals. The quality of the silks, the shading of the petals and plants, and the delicacy of the embroidery make these kimono a feast for the eyes.
For anyone interested in women's clothing of the early 20th century, this exhibition will be a treat.
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Author: Sheila Cliffe
