Fujie

I've been trying to make a picture catalogue of my kimono collection for insurance and organization needs, and I thought I might put it up here for everyone's amusement (and in case my other copies of it get lost).

This is a late Taisho/early Showa period haori, or a kimono coat from the late 1920s to 30s. The haori is a type of kimono coat that developed as men's wear in the Edo period and eventually became available to women through its usage by geisha, and it is partially closed in the front with ties. Depending on a haori's style, it can range from casual to formal. This one is informal, but dressy.

It has a motif of wisterias, butterflies, and fans. The design feels very soft and romantic to me, exactly what I would want to wear on a stroll through a garden. I was reading Katsumi Yumioka's "Kimono Sash and the Colors of Japan" recently, in which he describes color combinations with evocative Japanese vocabulary. I especially loved the color combinations described as Kaguwashii, fragrant or beautiful. "Elegance is concealed at the root of the expression to express the beauty derived from fragrance. The color scheme of mainly purple to give the impression of nobility and elegance is perfect to express this idea." I do have a weakness for purple...

For a name I chose Fujie, combining the kanji for wisteria and to bloom.