Page [   1.  2.  3.  4.  5.  6.  7.  8.  9.  10.  11.  12.  13.  14.  15.  16.  17.  18.  19.  ]

Life of Okami's “Strenuous Efforts”

---Steps to the Opening of The website---

9. Encounter with ‘USHIKUBI-               TSUMUGI' or ‘ USHIKUBI Pongee'

The key point is what I could actually do for selling Kimonos on web-site.

First of all, I need to mention the encounters with ‘ USHIKUBI-TSUMUGI', with Mr. Jyubei Sawada and with Ms. Midori Sakai.

One day in June, I've still been having been unemployed and living an easy life wanting to enjoy an exhibition of favorite Kimonos. So I visited two venues for Kimono exhibitions.

I spent about one and half hours each place in Tokyo to see high quality Kimono exhibitions. Both shows were so impressive.

Works by a living national treasure, by artists of elaborate dye-works, and by skilled craftsmen were displayed in a cramp. I was particularly fascinated with my favorite works but which weren't many. There was, however, the one,which was ‘ USHIKUBI-TSUMUGI'. I intended just to take a quick glance at the site, but ‘USHIKUBI-TSUMUGI' was so attractive that I stood riveted to the spot for a long time.

Rolls of plain fabrics with quiet brown and green colors and small pattern of simple stripes were displayed. Natural colors with peace and warmth, dignified texture with full strength and yet with softness…

They attracted me, not as Kimonos but as fabrics. I somehow had a strange feeling.

They were significantly showing simplicity that was quite different from the stereo-typed concept of Kimono. And yet they were clearly showing their high quality.

I found out later that exhibited products there were only KOMON, or ‘ small patterns on pre-dyed Kimono materials .

But no creative post- dyed products were not exhibited and which strangely drew my attention.

I wondered if there were any producing center where only those Kimonos were produced.

The name ‘ USHIKUBI' was new to me, so I asked one of the shop clerks about it. She told me about pongees that had been sunk under a dam, or it had seldom been exhibited before, etc.

I wanted to stay longer at the venue of ‘USHIKUBI-TSUMUGI', but left there with a feeling as if I had left my heart behind. In fact I did not have an intension of buying one.

Though my visiting was short, my encounter with ‘USHIKUBI-TSUMUGI' was a very impressive moment. I didn't know exactly what , but something was imprinted deep in my heart.

NEXT