Kayaka

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 Taisho period geisha's hikizuri, or a long, trailing kimono from the mid-late 1920s. It is made from ro silk, which is silk woven in an open style that is worn for a few months in the height of summer. The design is of flowing water, always a classic summer image, and autumn grasses, a common motif for ro kimono that are worn around the end of summer. Autumn grasses are one of my favorite motifs, they have such an elegant feeling of melancholy, I think.

For a name I chose Kayaka, combining the kanji for grasses and song. Looking at this piece I can almost feel and hear the breeze rustling the grasses, and I wanted a name that reflected that.