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Dear Customers & Friends
Hello from Japan! This is Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.237.
Price of oil is still going up, stocks are dropping and dollar is also dropping. However, spring has come as usual - from last week, we didn't need down-jackets and saw lots of ume blossoms. Stocks and dollar must become normal again near future, same as spring has come.
Today we would like to about era - we often write 'Meiji period' and so on, but we imagine most customers can't imagine easily how the lives of each era was like. Having the accurate images of each era of Japan in the world's history is difficult for also us, so we will try to write it with referring to the other countries' history.
Our kimono and antique items are from Edo period or later, so we begin from Edo period.
*Edo period (1603-1867)
*Meiji period (1868-1912)
*Taisho period(1912-1926)
*Showa period(1926-1989)
*Heise period(1989-)
First, we must explain how Japan's traditional era name are determined. After Meiji period, era were changed(named) only when the emperor died and changed. So each names of era are same as the name of the emperor. However, before Edo era, era names were also changed shogunate government arbitrarily. So in the Edo period, 36 era names were used actually. However, government of Edo ruled that 264 years, and later age, that eras became to be called as Edo period. So when we find date in the antique items, we can find the words 'Taisho', 'Meiji' or 'Showa', but we never find 'Edo' in dates. 36 era names are -
Keio, Genji, Bunkyu, Manen, Ansei, Kaei, Kouka, Tenpo, Bunsei, Bunka, Kyouwa, Kansei, Tenmei, Anei, Meiwa, Houreki and so on. These names are listed from new ones. We sometimes come across these era names in uchishiki( fabric for Buddhist altars) - but we can't remember the names ( 36 are too much!) so we always need reference to know the Christian year.
Well, let's begin Ichiroya's history lesson!
(1)Edo period 1603-1867
*Ieyasu Tokuguwa established the Edo Shogunate. The age of provincial wars ended, and Shougun ruled all feudal lords. Shougunate closed the country, and people were ruled strictly with class system, which had classes of 'Shi-Nou-Kou-Shou'. It means 'Shi'(samurai) is the highest, and 'Nou'(famers) is the next, 'Kou'(artisans) is the third and 'Shou'(merchant) is the lowest. Only from Nagasaki in Kyosyu, international trade was permitted under control of government Till foreign countries' battle ships came to Japan and demanded opening country Japan was peace and stabile during these 260 years.
*Various Japanese cultures flowered in Edo period. Ukiyoe, Joruri, Kabuki and Haiku were born or were flourished in Edo period. In the middle of Edo period, 'yuzen dyeing' was completed by Yuzen Miyazaki.
*Samurai and rich merchant wore silk kimonos from the beginning of this era, but for ordinary people silk was too expensive and they wore asa, Japanese hemp. Cotton cultivation spreaded mid Edo period, and asa was replaced to cotton from southern district. Tohoku district(nothern Japan) used asa as ordinary wear till the latest age of Edo period.
*Chintz (sarasa made in India) was imported early in Edo period. People in that age had not seen such fabrics - cotton fabric with exotic dyed pattern with vivid red color. In the age, cotton was difficult to dye red, which resist washing. Chintz were also exported to Western countries of course, and in both Western and Japan, chints became great boom. Western countries had to prohibit importing it. Before people came to know the chintz, the ways to put patterns and colors were only - weaving, embroidery or dyeing with 'shibori' technique. So Indian chintz brought great impact to the world.
*In Japan, Chintz technique developed to yuzen technique, and in the Western countries, copper plate printing born to imitate chintz efficiently. In the end of Edo period, copper plate printing cotton fabric, which was made in Western countries were exported to Japan, and its colorful Western taste design became very papular among the masses.
*Kimono is called 'kosode' till late Edo period. 'Ko' means 'small or short' and 'sode' means 'sleeve'. So 'kosode' means 'small/short sleeve'. Some customers must know the word 'kosode', and wonder why 'furisode'(long sleeve kimono) from Edo period is also called as 'kosode'. Contrary word of 'kosode' is 'osode', and more early ages, kimono had 'large/long SLEEVE HOLES'. In the later age, sleeve holes became short same as usual(and contemporary) kimono, and they were called as 'kosode' compared to previous kimonos. However, at last, short sleeve holes become standard, and 'kosode' means nothing, so the word 'kosode' became not to be used.
*What happened in Edo period in the world -
1603 ( Keicho 3) First stage of Hamlet by Shakespeare
1771 (Meiwa 8) The world's first water-powered cotton mill was built by Richard Arkwright.
1776 (Anei 5) Declaration of Independence of United States of America
1789 (Kansei 1) The French Revolution started
1800 (Kansei 12) Napoleon's invasion of Italy
1839 (Tenpo 10) First Opium War began.
1860 (Manei 1) Lincoln was elected as the 16th President of the United States
So the Edo period began with Hamlet and ended with Lincoln!
During the Edo period, out of Japan, United States, democracy and industrial revolution
were born, but people in Japan only enjoyed in the closed world and got left behind the advancement.
People had to notice it in the ending Edo period, and Meiji period became the era of huge change.
In the next letter, we would like to write about the rest eras.
Thank you for reading to the end! Today we will list some uchikake, furisode, kimono, obi, bolt & antique items. We are very happy if you could find your favorite among them!
Ichiro & Yuka Wada
Kimono Flea Market "ICHIROYA"
http://www.ichiroya.com
e-mail: info@ichiroya.com
address: Asia-shoji Bldg.301
1841-1 Nishi 1 chome
Wakamatsu cho
Tondabayashi city
Osaka 584-0025 JAPAN
TEL&FAX ****( international number ) - 81-721-23-5446
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