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Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.238 - No.251
****** No. 238 **************************************************************
Dear Customers & Friends
Hello from Japan! This is Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.238.
On the street just beside our office, magnolia has reached full bloom! She was born in China in primeval time, and she was said not to change her unique shape from Jurassic period. Come to think of it, her large and amorous flowers has the same atmosphere as dinosaurs. We hear she is growing also in United States and Europe - are the magnolia near you home blooming already?
Today we would like to continue Japanese history lesson.
We wrote about Edo era (1603-1867) in the last letter. In the Edo era, Japan was closed to the world, and was the last era of samurai. As we wrote, in the end of Edo era, Japan opened the country, and people were disclosed to the fast-paced modernization and westernization.
*Meiji period (1868-1912)
*Taisho period(1912-1926)
*Showa period(1926-1989)
*Heise period(1989-)
(2)Meiji ara (1868-1912)
*People still wore kimono, but class system was abolished. Samurai was prohibited to wear katana(sword), and they cut their topknots. Under the administration of Meiji Emperor, four classes ( 'Shi-Nou-Kou-Shou' samurai, farmer, artisan and merchant) became equal.
*Goverment hurried modernization and industrialization. For example, government imported silk reeling machine from France, and made silk-reeling industry the major export industry.
*Won two wars ; Japanese-Sino War 1894-95, Japanese-Russo War 1904-05.
*Double ikat 'Kasuri' was invented in ending Edo period, but wearing cotton kasuri kimono became usual in the late Meiji period.
*Chemical dyestuff were invented by Sir William Henry Perkin(UK) in 1856. In 1880, Heumann established the process making chemical indigo. The first sewing machine, which was made in United States came Japan in 1854. So chemical dyestuffs and sewing machines were imported to Japan, and they began to be used.
*Design of kimono of this era is subtle delicate and small than Edo period or Taisho period. Its feature is prominent, and many Meiji kimono can be easily distinguished
*My grandmother was born in Meiji 41(1909), ending of Meiji ara. She passed away when I was late 20's. She lived during two world war, and when she was 80's, she still worked as a concierge of small apartment near our house. She loved us deeply, but didn't say much about herself I am deeply contrite about not hearing about her life. My mother still keeps some of her kimono in the shelves.
(3)Taisho period(1912-1926)
*Taisho period was only 14 years long, because he was sickly.
*When Emperor Taisho married, cherry blossom were planted all over Japan, which made Japan the country of cherry blossom.
*Popular culture flourished under the influence of Western world. Art Nouveau was flourished in Meiji period, and it came to Japan with Art Deco, which prevailed 1910-1930. Japanese art is said to have a great impact to Art Nouveau, and it trend returned to Japan, and made art and style special, which was named Taisho Roman. Design of kimono also became large and decorative, and we can find strong influence of Art Nouveau/ Deco in some kimono.
*WWI(1914-1918) brought special procurement boom to Japan. It seemed to make some people extremely rich, and some of them became the patron of art and kimonos.
*In 1918, rayon began to be produced in Japan. It was the replacement of silk, and called 'jin-ken', which means 'artificial-silk'.
*Men abandoned kimono and wore Western clothes as usual cloths from Taisho era.
(4)Showa period(1926-1989)
*Showa era has the longest term of eras - 64 years. We always divide this era in two terms - during/before WWII ( from 1926 to 1945), and after WWII(1946 -1989). Japan dramatically changed on the age of WWII. Before WWII, army ruled Japan and led our country hopeless war. After the war, emperor became symbolic and everything became democratic Our parents worked hard and made miracle economic growth.
*After WWII, women changed their usual wear from kimono to western cloths. (My mother still wore kimono as usual cloth when I was a boy - around 1970! )
*My father was born in Showa 4( 1930 ), and mother was born Showa 6(1932). WWII ended when they were high school students. They lived in the rural district of Kyoto, near Japan sea, so they fortunately didn't come across aerial attacks or real risks.
*During and just before the WWII, people had to live without waste, and for a certain time after the WWII, it was all people can do to keep body and soul together. Women usually wore 'monpe', cotton parts made of Bingo kasuri, and luxurious kimono couldn't be made. So we can find fantastic kimono which was made in the early Showa period, which has same quality and design to Taisho period. Many kimono was made later than 60' - however, quality of kimono from 60's and 70's are not so good. Dyeing and weaving works couldn't have same quality of Taisho period, because kimonos of that age were becoming a kind of industrial goods for the general public.
Thank you very much for reading to the end. Today, we will list some furisode, kimono, katazome, obijime, bolt and 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
****** No. 239 **************************************************************
Dear Customers& Friends
Hello from Japan! This is Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.239.
On this Sunday, cherry blossom is full bloom here, but unfortunately we have rain today. I must stay home with our Lab.
Thank you for many letters about our previous news letters, which were about Japanese year and history. Today we would like to write a little more about Edo era. I read an interesting book titled 'The history of Edo was distorted in Taisho Era' by Aitetsu Furukawa, which told us that some our images of Edo era was not correct. Today I will write some topics, which were inspired by this book.
As I wrote, Edo era is from 1603 to 1867, the last era of samurai, closed to the world, peaceful period. People were ruled strictly with class system, which had classes of 'Shi-Nou-Kou-Shou' - 'Shi'(samurai) is the highest, and 'Nou'(farmers) is the next, 'Kou'(artisans) is the third and 'Shou'(merchant) is the lowest. Various cultures flourished, ukiyoe, kabuki, Rimpa style art, tea ceremony and so on.(Please refer news letter no.238 about Edo period.)
*People not only farmers but also other ordinary people also usually bought second hand clothes even for their brides. Only few rich people could buy and order brand new kimonos. So secondhand kimono shop was very popular also in Edo period. The book says the price of kimono was similar to now - for examples, habutae formal black haori was sold at approx 100 USD, even if its color was discolored. Because it could be worn formally if it was re-dyed. One of the major supplier was temples! When people died, clothes of them were dedicated to temples. Temples sold them to the market, because they couldn't keep all of them. Secondhand kimono were sold again and again, and at last, they were sold to Tohoku district.
*People in Edo period thought their kimono not only as clothes, but also as interior display. In the samurai's house, kimonos were often hanged on iko(kimono stand), and was used as interior display. Come to think of it, we sometimes come across vintage furisode(or kimono) set. Some are designed to be worn layered, but some are difficult to imagine to be worn at a time. They have same size, and different colors and designed, and so layering seems not to be realistic. These kimono set had to be designed to wear separately or displayed. If different two kimonos with similar design are displayed, the place must look exceptionally gorgeous. At bridal ceremonies, kimono set had to be used as this way.
It is interesting that modern Japanese did not seem to recognize kimono as interior display, but many of our foreign customers wisely find value in kimonos as interior display same as Edo people!
*Generally speaking, farmers were more rich than we imagine. In the films, farmers were always poor, and aggrieved by the samurai class.(If you have seen Kurosawa's films, you must imagine so.) However, records remain which let us know farmer's bribe to local governors were usual, and 60000 USD - 90000 USD bribes was common sense if a village wanted to decrease the customs.In Edo period, main product of farmers was rice, and customes were calculated on rice production. Farmers cleverly changed their production from rice to other redeemable crops like tabacco and cotton. 'Shi-kou-roku-min'( 40% for governors, and 60% for farmers) was the general principle, but as a result, approx 20% was for the governors.
*Samurai shaved their pre-heads(it was called 'sakayaki') and tied topknots. It was duty, and if they left their pre-heads without shaving, and they could be arrested especially in Edo(Tokyo). They were thought as dingers and imprisoned or send to mines as laborers. Barber was called 'kamiyui', and travelers couldn't ask them to shave without redeemers. Not only samurai, but also merchant/artisan had to shave 'sakayakai'. Samurai shaved by themselves, but merchant and artisans let 'kamiyui' shave their head. 'Kamiyui' of the town shaved all men - he got salary from the town, and a kind of civil servant. At a time, he was the a kind of watch dog.
*Edo(Tokyo) was famous for frequent fires. As you know, Japanese houses were built with wood and papers, so fire spread quickly to all over city. In Edo town, 48 firemen's group('Iroha 48 Group) were organized, and governed by authorities. They wore 'shubou sashiko banten' and worked on the fires. Curious to say, most big fires occurred when the economic was in recession. After the big fire burned the whole town, reconstruction demand revived economy dramatically. The book says 48 firemen's group had the role not only firefight, but also to set fires for economy.
*Mechants in Edo town never made their sons as heirs. Banks also didn't lend money to the owner who was the son of late owner. They selected their heirs from staff or other families and married them to their daughters. Making their own sons as heirs was thought to be silly. Daughters had to marry the man who their parents selected even if they didn't like them. It is not acceptable now, but the about the business inheritance, it is a kind of wisdom modern people must keep in mind. Don't you think so?
Today we would like to list some contemporary(wearable ) kimono, haori, bolt and 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
****** No. 240 **************************************************************
Dear Customers & Friends
Hello from Japan! This is Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.240.
Today, Yuka is writing this newsletter.
Do you watch TV or You Tube? I saw a program (on TV!)which showed less and less people are watching TV now and more and more people are watching You Tube. They said older people are watching TV and younger people are just so eager for You Tube. Young students and children watch popular video on You Tube so they can share about the video at school.
Some customers shared very funny You Tube video with us also.
So now our `Yukata (summer kimono) dressing` video can be seen on You Tube too. If you like to see the idea of dressing kimono, we think it will be very helpful, so please enjoy it on You Tube.
You can just enter `kimono dressing` or `Yukata dressing`.
Or you can go to the video from here too:
http://www.ichiroya.com/kitsukedvd.htm
Mugi, our second daughter is showing how to dress yukata and also tie easy obi bow which is the most simple way. This obi tie is actually useful for kimono too.
We are selling DVD `Kimono dressing with Yuka` and the video showing on You Tube is only the first half of the DVD. For kimono dressing(formal) and other obi tie both for kimono and also furisode, the DVD is showing the direction. By watching DVD, you will be able to dress ourself with even a formal kimono and tie an obi too.
Today I am writing a little about the relationship of kimono and obi.
Obi can be translated as sash or belt, but actually it is more like stiff corset or champion belt when it is worn with traditional way. I think it is natural that some customers think an obi is coming with a kimono originally, probably the sash with the same fabric with the kimono.
However, obi and kimono are made completely separately, so we have to find a matching obi for any kimono. Just like a belt or a sash for western clothing, it is an accent and used to close a kimono - but more over, the role of obi is to decide the level of kimono. Matching colors and atmosphere is important too but more than that, matching `KAKU` (rank or grade) is considered to be important in traditional kimono dressing. What we have been told is to choose a better rank obi to grade up your kimono, or obi cost can be more than kimono and so on.
So if you are thinking about wearing a kimono in a traditional way, you should think choosing a good obi is the key.
Firstly, obi have some kinds and you can see the difference at our top page:
http://www.ichiroya.com/moreaboutobi/moreaboutobi.htm
Obi have these kind:
Maru obi--- they are not made so many any more-most maru obi are vintage, stiff, fully patterned and difficult to wear because of the stiffness. We seldom see people wearing maru obi any more.
Fukuro obi-- there are many kinds from casual type to very formal type and as you can notice, they are most in numbers. Fukuro obi can make several kinds of obi bow and most useful (some fukuro obi are made for square bow-otaiko particularly)
Nagoya obi--- mostly used for not so formal kimono but some nagoya obi can be used for semi-formal occasion too. Nagoya obi is to tie a square bow(otaiko) and cannot tie other kind of bow.
Hanhaba obi --- for casual kimono and yukata traditionally, but some decorative hanhaba can be matched with any kimono we think. It is most handy and easy to tie, so we recommend hanhaba obi if you are wearing a kimono for the first time.
We recommend hanhaba obi or fukuro obi for your first obi. Hanhaba is the best but making a simple obi bow with fukuro obi (fukuro obi needs to fold in half to make it narrow)is good too.
* Except hanhaba obi, basically you will need some accessories to complete the obi bow.
What we hear very often is, `for dyed kimono, wear a woven obi and for woven kimono, wear a dyed obi.` Obi were basically all WOVEN but when dyed obi appeared, wearing dyed obi with woven kimono became popular fashion, so it may be how this started. Actually most obi are woven and it is hard to find very good dyed obi in good condition among used items.
If you meet someone and talk about kimono, please try to say `for dyed kimono, wear a woven obi and for woven kimono, wear a dyed obi` like a spell- you will be so respected and they think you are kimono specialist.
Here are some very basic rules (I do not like the word rules but these are the things done in a traditional way)-- there are many other way of matching kimono and obi and also there are trend too!
*For formal kimono like kurotomesode, furisode or houmongi, obi should have GOLD or SILVER threads and should be decorative.
*Obi with classical motifs (as treasure ship, pine trees, bamboo, plum blossoms, shell container and so on) and the motif like royal people are considered to be more formal than obi with other motif.
* Certain technique like Kara ori or tsuzure ori(hand woven) too are considered to be higher rank.
So for example komon kimono(it is just like printpattern one-piece), hanhaba, naogya obi or not so formal fukuro obi will be good.
For iromuji, tsukesage and houmongi, nagoya obi or not so decorative fukuro obi can be matched for not so formal occasion. If you wear decorative obi for these kimono, the kimono rank will rise and can be formal.
There is no definite obi for a kimono- you can change the level of kimono by obi you choose.
In Japanese kimono magazine, there are many examples of matching several obi with a kimono. I hope to write a little more about kimono and obi again in the future.
I am so glad there is a trend in kimono fashion too-- and recently, chic woven kimono are loved by kimono wearers. I think it is influenced by western suit. Just like well tailored suit, chic color nice woven kimono are so beautiful and graceful Soft silk kimono with delightful dyed patterns are so pretty but there are not so many occasions to wear such kimono. Very fine tsumugi (woven) kimono can have a lot of variation by changing obi and other accessories.
Higuchi Kanako is my favorite `kimono wearer` who wear chic woven kimono and her photo collection is my favorite:
http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E6%A8%8B%E5%8F%A3%E5%8F%AF%E5%8D%97%E5%AD%90%E3%81%AE%E3%81%8D%E3%82%82%E3%81%AE%E3%81%BE%E3%82%8F%E3%82%8A-%E6%B8%85%E9%87%8E-%E6%81%B5%E9%87%8C%E5%AD%90/dp/4083330244
Thank you very much for reading our newsletter. We wish you a happy new week.
We will be listing obi, fabric and charming antique items in about 6 hours or so.
Please check our new arrivals.
Ichiro & Yuka Wada
Kimono Flea Market "ICHIROYA"
http://www.ichiroya.com
****** No. 241 **************************************************************
Dear Customers & Friends
Hello from Japan! This is Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.241.
Recently I went to a big electric appliance store in Umeda, and I was astonished to see many Chinese signs, and some Chinese tourists were buying electric products and high-end brand watches. Japanese government is prom to attract foreign tourists, (for examples South Korea tourists became to come in Japan without visa), and it is working well, and last year, tourists from abroad increased dramatically. Chinese government also became to allow group tour to Japan only with simple departure formalities. So last year, more than 8 million tourists came to Japan (13.8% increase from previous year ). Especially tourists from South Korea, China and Singapore increased, and tourist spots are trying to serve them more friendly, so we can see lots of foreign language signs in town way more than 10 years ago. Recently when I went to Kyoto JR station, I saw a lot of foreign tourists, but most Chinese and Korean couldn't be distinguished from appearance, so the tourists from abroad must h
ave been more in numbers than I could notice.
Recently tremendous buying of Chinese tourists is in the news. They bring lots of money and buy mainly electric products, name-brand goods, cosmetic and character goods. Department stores and big electric appliance stores are thinking Chinese tourists as very important customers. Of course, name-brand goods are selling also in big cities in China, but they seem to prefer to buy them in Ginza and other Japanese cities - it is because stores in Japan seem to be thought more creditable and feel-status for them. It is curious, but I can easily imagine their mind, because I saw lots of counterfeit name-brand bags and clothes in Shanghai two years ago.
Also at antique market, we hear Chinese antique is central player now. Numbers of rich people is increasing, and they are buying Chinese antique at higher prices than before. Now Chinese government prohibits to bring Chinese antiques out of their country, but many Chinese items were imported to Japan for a long time. From olden times, China had to been yearning country, and many new always came from China. So sometimes Chinese antique items came from old Japanese houses to the antique market. Such items are bought at very high price and we heard that high-end ones were sold at Christies Hongkong more than several times higher than the prices. Also there, most powerful buyers are rich Chinese.
Unfortunately, Chinese people do not seem to like Japanese traditional items and Japanese textiles, although rich Chinese like Japanese modern arts, besides electric products. We have shipped our items to China and South Korea but only a few times. Most traditional Japanese handicrafts have origin in China, so they may be too familiar to them. Another reason may be that Chinese consumers are in the step, where people aspire only convenient and modern life, and not in the step, where warmth of handicrafts is also thought to be valuable.
Anyway, internet line between China and Japan is very narrow now, and we can't see internet China sites swiftly, and Chinese people also can't see Japanese site swiftly. To sell something to Chinese people from Japan, we must have server in China with beyond the wall of approval and license - it is impossible.
By the way above story is about economy. However, another more important story is, as you must think, about Tibet repression of China. A few days ago, Olympic flame run in San Francisco, and the flame will come on 26th in Nagano Japan. Lots of people and politicians acted to protest Chinese government in Europe, United States and other countries. However, Japanese politician said nothing about this topic to China, and people also seem to be very calm and not to pay enough attention to this topics. There is complicated and sad history between China and Japan, and politicians look afraid to say something to China. Japanese people are also tested by the world how we act against the Olympic flame in Nagano.
It is sad thing but our country is said to be the one of the worst country about the freedom of opinion. Not only such situation, but also most people are disinterested in blatant violation of basic human rights of other countries.
We are very sorry for the theme of this letter is not connected to kimonos and textiles. However, we become to feel China stronger than ever. My elder daughter is studying Chinese in university, and we feel her skill will help her more in future.
Today we will list some haori, katagami, cotton bolt, bolts and 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
****** No. 242 **************************************************************
Dear Customers & Friends
Hello from Japan! This is Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.242.
Yesterday, I (Ichiro) attended a kimono auction in Kyoto. Same as other
auctions, sometime we can come across rare kimono there. Also several
months ago, we saw some exceptional vintage Bingata kimono were offered,
and they were won at very good prices. Yesterday, after the lunch, an
incredible obi was offered. It was maru obi (both sides are woven) and
very colorful bold pattern - at a glance, we didn't understand what it
was, but when it was unfolded, ROCKET motif is revealed! Rockets and
flowers are woven colorfully with very artistic touch - we have never seen
such obi before. As usual, there was not enough time to check and value
the item, however, all bidders understood it was something unusual one. Of
course, I also wanted to win, but I wondered - when does it come from, and
who did weave this obi. Time flied rapidly, and auctioneer said the
starting price.
"100 thousand yen!'
I said '150 thousand yen!' with large voice. However, prices rocketed and
it was won by a seller at incredibly high price. We can not write the
price here, but you must be astonished if you know the price. Its auction
ended with lots of sigh of bidders. A bidder besides me told me that the
obi had to be woven by Seika Yamaga. It's characteristic rocket design and
woven signature had to be his. I checked the interenet immediately with my
handiphone, and I understood what she said.
Seika Yamaga is one of the most famous weaver, who was born in Meiji
18(1885), and is well know as his 'teori-nishiki' weaving and unique
artistic design. He studied under Sekka Kamisaka - some readers must know
his name, and he studied various textile all over the world, and rose to
one-of-a-kind artistic heights. One of his work is used at display fabrics
of 'yamaboko'(festival cart) of Gain Festival, and he was selected as the
member of The Japan Art Academy. He is the only member, who was certified
from textile-dyeing/weaving artists. Here is the page about him, and there
is a photo of his work. Photo is the similar maru obi, woven in Showa
33(1958).
http://www.fuyuuu.com/archives/000449.html
After that items, all bidders became in a state of absolute bewilderment
for a whole. After that item, everything looked usual and boring.
Yesterday, another usual item was offered. It was an uchikake with
stunning shishi motif - it was dyed colorfully in the ivory background.
This uchikake is dyed by Gekka Minagawa, who is also very famous dyer born
in Meiji period. About this uchikake, I also bid highest than we could,
but we lost. From the signature we could know the dyer before the bidding,
but I wondered the value - for me, besides the name of dyer, design was
thought not to be appealing to our customers.
I returned to office in business time, and I moaned Yuka that I should won
that obi regardless of the price. She said getting the very best one was
good for us, but she didn't imagine who would like to buy it among our
customers. It may be right, but ---
Today, I checked more in internet about Seika Yamaga. And at last, I found
the page, which seemed to sell precisely THAT OBI! Pages are not active
kimono store's, and photos are already deleted, and only text can be read.
Only a small photo remain, and I can identify it as the photo of that obi.
Text says, it was titled, 'Rocket', it was made when he was 79 years old
(Showa 39 - 1964), and exhibited in the Nitten(The Japan Fine Arts
Exhibit). And the price the store put is more than 150 thousand USD! The
page seems to be made around 2005.
The page also says 'because a certain collector had parted with one of the
collections, and it was possible to obtain this work'.
After I read the page, I felt little bit complex feeling. At the auction,
we thought that obi was from a rich family and that was the FIRST time to
come to our market. However, it was at kimono market in 2005. And it is
recently woven one ----
As Yuka says, a kimono seller like the winner may be better owner than us.
The one that got away is always the biggest?
A wise man never courts danger?
A typical stressful day, for kimono and antique dealers!
Today we will list some contemporary uchikake, obi, katagami, bolt and
antique items. We are very happy if you find your favorite among them.
Ichiro & Yuka Wada
Kimono Flea Market "ICHIROYA"
http://www.ichiroya.com
****** No. 243 **************************************************************
Dear Customers & Friends
Hello from Japan! This is Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.243.
We don't use this news letter for especially selling something usually. This letter is the part of something very important for the bond between you customers and us. I(Ichiro) love writing(writing English is still not easy for me), and I become very happy when I can convey something special feeling to you.
However, please forgive us for writing about several items we are selling tomorrow this time. A few days ago, I attended a big kimono auction in Kyoto with Yuka, and we won some very special items there. As usual, special items are not inexpensive, but they deserve the price. And if we missed them, we could never come across again.
So we won and won, and the total amount we paid at this auction reached the highest price!
So please, please look and enjoy our special items before tomorrows listing.
*Karako and ?
This piece is made of chirimen(crepe) silk, and has cute karako motif.
It looks only that, but after a while, you must find another hidden motif, and you must be astonished!
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2.php?number=140437&spid=S4814515055151
*We sometimes get geisha's susohiki. Susohiki has bold and unique design often, but this piece is VERY SPECIAL. Main motif is battle of white and brown FOXES! Do you know Inari Shrine? And do you know what the real identity of fox is?
Please check here!
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/140428/
*We sometime offer tsutsugaki items, but this piece is the best we have ever listed. It is from Meiji period(1868-1912), and carps climbing waterfall are dyed vividly with tsutsugaki technique - its touch is artistic and FABULOUS!
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/140423%20/
*This kurotomesode also has incredibly bold carp motif - we sometimes see carp in kurotomesode, but this piece is old and has special design and embroidery work.
You must tell what we are writing
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/140431/
*We already have some Taisho uchikake, but this piece's yuzen work is EYE-Catching!
http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2/140426/
How do you feel these items? We feel they are the GENUINE ART, although the dyer's name couldn't be known. We got other special haori, obi, child kimono and so on, and we will list them this week. Please don't miss them!
Today we will list some other susohiki, uchikake, kimono, gotenmari, sakabukuro, bolt and 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
****** No. 244 **************************************************************
Dear Customers & Friends
Hello from Japan! This is Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.244.
Do you know the words 'shikkai-ya'?
From couple of month ago, a middle age man in business suit comes to our office once a week. His real name is Mr. Hayashi, but he has very good voice, and Yuka calls him 'iikoe'(good voice). He comes from Kyoto, and visits kimono retailers in our area.
He is the young president of a traditional 'shikkai-ya' in Kyoto, doing route sales by himself, and trying to get more customers.
'Ya' is same as 'ya' of 'ICHIROYA', which means 'store'.
'Shikkai' means 'everything connected to fixing kimono'. So his business is mending the flaws of kimono. His business is old-established one -when kimono was usual clothes, people had asked them to repair their kimono on a daily basis. However, after western clothes became usual cloth, people who know the word 'shikkai' became very less.
He can do everything about mending kimonos. Make gofun parts white, take stains off, re-dye on discolored textile, re-sew to change size, repair kinkoma embroidery, 'araihari'( unpick, wash and resew kimono) and so on. He visits lots of kimono retailers. They consult him how to repair their kimonos and ask the prices in each possible ways for fixing. He gathers kimono with some problems, and he brings back to his Kyoto office, and delivers to his artisan's network in Kyoto - some kimonos are send to dyers, some are sent to embroidery artisans, some are sent to weaver or seamstress and so on.
Not only get such orders, but also give us various information about kimonos. For examples, we were wondering about geisha's susohiki(kimono for Japanese traditional dance) - susohiki usually have long length and some kimono sellers says especially its bottom part( from bottom of 'eri(lapel)' to the bottom part) must be long. However, some black kimonos have eye-catching and large design, which seem to be too large for kurotomesode. However, its bottom part is not long, and we were wondering they might be susohiki worn by height-challenged geisha. We asked him about this point. At that time, he didn't have assured answer.
A few weeks later, he gave us the answer. He also has 'okiya', geisha's house as customers. As you can imagine easily, geisha usually wear kimono, and their kimonos are incredibly expensive ones, but at time, they are worn at the party and always have much risks to be soiled. He says that he can't say an okiya is his customer, because okiya's owner think it is a kind of secret However, they(owners of okiya) often ask 'shikkai-ya' to repair and clean their kimonos even if repair and cleaning are not urgent, and have supported 'shikkai-ya' and network of artisans.
And when he went to okiya from back door, he kindly asked okiya's madam(and owner) and got the answer.
*Susohiki's bottom part is not always long. Just same as we imagined, not-tall geisha's susohiki can be usual length as kurotomesode.
*Most important point is 'Susohiki is worn without ohasyori'. You must know that kimono is usually worn with 'ohashori' - kimono is folded at the waist to adjust the wearer's height kimono is designed to be folded that way and appropriate fold is needed if you wear completely traditional way. But susohiki is designed to be worn without folding('ohashori'). So susohiki's design is often quite big and reaches to upper part, and main parts are often seated at high place, where will be folded part ( by 'ohasyori') in usual kimonos.
At last, our long time question is resolved.
Anyway he is a very good guy, and working hard to maintain his traditional business. However, considering the shrinking of the kimono market and difficulty of finding successors of artisans, he says he can't be optimistic about the future of his business.
We know his business have been the very important part of link of kimono world. From olden time, supreme kimono with artistic yuzen/weave/embroidery works have been very expensive, and people have worn them as if they were treasure, and when they got flaws, they have been repaired elaborately by 'shikkai-ya'. Truly valuable kimono have not been only for a person, but also for families and descendent, and exactly 'shikkaiya' have uphold the culture behind the curtain.
We sometime ask him repair And some customers let their bought items 'maru-arai'(wash) to him. Some customers ask us to redye the white bolts to particular colors.
So if you have some special request for him, please let us know.
It is sad the word `shikkai-ya` is disappearing, we think it is only few young people who know what shikkai-ya is.
We will be listing charming karinui, kimono fabric, yukata and bolt, fabric and bolt tomorrow.
In our antique site, interesting pictures will be added.
Please check our new arrivals!
We wish you a pleasant new week.
Ichiro & Yuka Wada
Kimono Flea Market "ICHIROYA"
http://www.ichiroya.com
****** No. 245 **************************************************************
Dear Customers & Friends
Hello from Japan! This is Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.245.
Today we would like to write little bit about dyeing. Some customers noticed we sometimes must write 'Dyestuff has resin touch' in the description, and some might wonder what it was like. Kimono is very traditional cloth, but many contemporary kimono are made with modern and industrialized technique. Resin dyestuff is also one of the modern technology, and many kurotomesode, furisode and houmongi are dyed with 'resin dyestuff'.
T shirts are also often dyed with resin touch dyestuffs, and they seem to be a kind of rubber. Resin dyestuff used in kimono is similar one, but not so thick as rubber touch ones. However, they look resin, and they seem to be pasted on the silk textile. Dyestuff doesn't smart into the textile. Its technique must streamlines the dyeing process, and they look very gorgeous when they are new. However, when they were stored for a long time, and came to our used-kimono-market, resin dyestuff parts often became wrong - resin dyestuff part sticks to other resin dyestuff part, and when we impose to detach them, sometimes one side of resin dyestuff is peeled! Some owners seemed to worry such result, and put thin paper between the resin dyestuffs. However, this trial also posed problem. Papers are sticked to the resin surface, and they can't be removed completely. So when the resin-dyestuff dyed kimono are offered at an auction, a bidder always touch the surface of resin dyestuff, and
says `Slightly sticky! Only one more summer OK! If you win(get), sell fast as possible as you can!'
To dye textiles, there are major two difficulties. The first thing is how to settle the color in the textile. If dyestuff can be soluble in water, textile can be dipped easily in the color, but such dyestuff also goes away with sweat or cleaning. So dyestuff must be dissolved, but after dyestuff reach into every yarn of the textile, dyestuff must change to be incorruptible. Most dyestuff are dissolved in flux, and later they are oxidized by oxygen of air, and settle in the textile. Many customers must already know natural ai is also dyed with a kind of above process, and how the process are elaborate. Especially dyeing with multiple colors must be troublesome task.
One way to resolve this difficulty is adding the adhesive material into the dyestuffs became to be used. Adhesive material doesn't change the dyestuff, but adhere it to the textile. For the adhesive material, resin is used. Sometime resin is thick, and dyestuff becomes to have rubber/plastic touch. However, resin is added thinly often, we can't know it from surface. Have you ever heard that ink-jet printing is also used to dyed kimono textile? To squirt and settle the dyestuff from ink-jet machine, resin adhesive material must be added thinly.
The second thing of difficulties is bleeding. As you can easily imagine, if you drop a dyestuff on the textile, it must bleed and become a large circle. The most primitive technique to prevent from breeding is -- as you know -- shibori(tie-dye). Tie-dye technique can be found all over the world. Another way to prevent from bleeding is using resist printing technique. In Japan, rice paste is used for it - before dyeing with colors, dyers draw outlines of design with white rice paste ('itome'), and put dyestuff on the parts outlined with 'itome'. Dyestuff never bleed over the 'itome' line, so dyer can draw colorful and clear pictures as if they were writing on papers. ( This technique is called 'yuzen dyeing' originally, and in a more limited sense. However, now, all kinds of dyeing works are called 'yuzen dyeing'.)
Adding resin stuff must be very efficient way to overcome these difficulties. It makes dyeing more inexpensive and colorful, but at a time, it seems to make difficult to repair and reuse the kimono when it becomes old.
By the way, our vintage kimonos often have discoloration - dyed colors must be discolored by ultraviolet light. When the colors get discoloration naturally, all colors are slightly discolored, and it is hardly noticed. However, when kimono is unpicked, colors of inside of seam are different from outside, and we can know the discoloration and original colors. Some kimonos are also discolored by the light of kimono store's fluorescent lamp. Not only kimono, but also obi are discolored while they are displayed in the shelves of stores. Such discoloration is line shape on the folded lines, where the kimono/obi are on the shelves. We call such discoloration as 'tana-yake'(shelf - discoloration). Stores owners make their stores' glass as a block of ultraviolet light, but we can't prevent light of fluorescent lamp from discoloring our merchandise.
Discoloration is also occurred because of mal dyeing process. Many customers must notice that white 'gohun' parts are often discolored, and lining of kimono from mid Showa period are often prominently discolored fully. They are because dyeing process and technique are not good, and when they were new, there was not problem, but later mal process or material cause such discoloration.
If above theme is not interesting for you, we are very sorry. However, we had felt we must write about 'resin touch dyestuff' some day.
Today we will list some haori, katagami, bolt, fabric and 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
****** No. 246 **************************************************************
Dear Customers & Friends
If there are anyone who has relatives or friends who encountered earthquake of China or the cyclone of Myanmar, we would like to offer words of sympathy. We still can't feel it real that two catastrophic disasters occurred in Asia during such short period. How can we imagine that more the fifty thousand people might die, and just now, many people are still alive under the wreckage. We know it but we can't do nothing for them. We Ichiroya did only one thing we could do - we donated 100000 YEN( approx 1000 USD) to Medecins Sans Frontieres. Its money is from ICHIROYA's profit, which YOU allowed to us by buying our items. So its donation is from YOU and US.
We hope strongly help will reach immediately to afflicted area and more people will be helped out and treated.
Thank you very much for many email about the previous news letter. I was little bit in a hurry, and I forgot to write important point - dyestuff bleeds on the textile, so prevent from bleeding there are some technique like 'itome' yuzen ( rice paste resist technique). However, if starch or resin is blended in the dyestuff, bleeding becomes less. So resin-blending has also such convenient effect.
In this letter, I would like to write about kimono textiles more.
Do you know that the elements of cotton, asa(Japanese hemp), rayon(jinken) and polynosic are the same?
Their element is cellulose. It is the botanical elements, which exists in largest numbers in natural world. You must easily imagine cotton and asa(hemp) must be made of cellulose, but how about rayon and polynosic? In Japanese, rayon was named 'jinken', which means artificial silk, and it has very similar touch to silk. When we began our business approx 6 years ago, I couldn't recognize the difference between silk and rayon. We often asked predecessors how they distinguished them - most kimono sellers are not scientific but sensuous, and their answers always were like - difference of colors of dyestuffs, difference of wrinkles, difference of touch ( silk is warm, and rayon is cool) and so on - we never could understand what they said. However, now we understand what they wanted to say - colors on silk and rayon are different surely, wrinkles of rayon are characteristic ( deeper like papers' wrinkles), and because of difference of coefficient of thermal conductivity rayon give
s us cooler touch than silk.
However, the easiest way to distinguish silk and rayon is burning them. Silk is made of protein, so silk is not burn itself. If you put the fire near the silk, silk becomes black balls just like you burn your hair( hair is also protein!). When you put the fire off, burning of silk stops.
However, rayon is made of cellulose - it is made of pulp, like making spaghetti noodles! So when you put fire near the rayon, rayon burn like paper!
So we can easily distinguish silk and rayon by burning, but sometimes rayon has very similar touch to cotton. Both cotton and rayon are made of cellulose, and both burn easily like paper. To distinguish them, we use 100x microscope. Rayon's fiber is made like spaghetti noodles( like other synthetic fibers as polyester), so fiber is long, straight and its surface is smooth. On the other hand, fiber of cotton is short, frizzed and spun. Length of fibers are the main element to determine the quality of cotton - for examples sea-island cotton has the longest fiber. Even if the sea-island cotton fiber is long, but rayon's fiber can be longer because they are produced by machines like NOODLES!
So you check the fibers of rayon and cotton with microscope, you must understand what we are writing now.
Asa(Japanese hemp) is also made of cellulose, and it also burn like paper. However, asa has more stiff and crispy touch than cotton/rayon, and usually we can distinguish from its touch. In addition, if you check the fiber of asa with microscope, fibers are not like cotton or rayon - it is long and straight, but thickness is not uneven and plyed(jointed) at places. It is because asa fiber is took from choma, and split thinly to fiber. So fiber are long but not like spaghetti, and not like fiber of cotton ball. By microscope, we can see the characters of asa's making process.
Polynosic is the improved rayon and has more silk like texture and keeps their shape better. However, material is same as rayon, so it burn and has very similar characters to rayon.
Do you feel you can distinguish fabrics by yourself?
Besides the above textile, other usual fabrics of kimono are polyester, acetate and wool.
In the mid Showa period(Showa:1926-1989), lots of ordinary kimono were made of wool. Wool must be familiar to you - it is made of protein, so wool doesn't burn itself. If you put the fire near, wool become black balls like silk, but its smell is completely different from silk. Wool smell is worse than silk, and if you try by yourself, you must not forget the smell of wool burning. Another way to distinguish wool, please touch it by your cheek - wool fiber has cuticles, and sensitive cheek skin can feel them.
Contemporary synthetic kimono are made of polyester, and there are other couple of usual synthetic fabrics as below.
Polyester - Polyester is most used as contemporary washable kimono. Some high quality polyester has very similar touch to silk. Even the professionals who have more than 50 years' career can't tell such ones. To identify it, we burn it. Its material is oil, so polyester burns and melt like plastic(after the burning, it becomes stiff like plastic). Fiber is long, thin and smooth surface. (Sometimes, I puzzle that what is the natural silk's value if the best professionals among professionals can't identify between silk and polyester!)
Acetate - Acetate is made of pulp and acetic acid. It has similar texture as silk, and it was often used to make boy and girl's kimono in mid Showa period(Showa:1926-1989). Recently we rarely find acetate in contemporary kimono. Old acetate often has smells sour, which is from acetic acid. Acetate burns itself.
Acrylic - Acrylic is also made of oil. It has similar touch to wool, and we sometimes find acrylic in the wool & synthetic blend kimono bolt.
This is not the first time that we write about this topics. Long time readers must already must know it, but this topic must be very helpful for recent joined readers. If you buy the microscope, you must distinguish kimono textile by yourself!
Thank you for reading to the end. Today, we will list wonderful ranru tattsuke(farmer's pants), men's juban karinui, bolt and antique items. We are very happy if you could find your favorite among them!
Have a nice weekend!
Ichiro & Yuka Wada
Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA
http://www.ichiroya.com/
****** No. 247 **************************************************************
Dear Customers & Friends
Hello from Japan! This is Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.247.
People all over the world are still worrying about the damage of China earthquake. We also strongly hope aftershock cease soon and all helps reach immediately to the afflicted area.
As you must know, Japan is also the country with frequent earthquakes. While We surfed webs we found an interesting photo.
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%94%BB%E5%83%8F:Japan_Relief_Movement_in_US.jpg
The Great Kanto Earthquake struck the Tokyo metropolitan area in 1923, and killed about 100 thousand people. The photo warmed my heart - American women worked hard to collect donations for Japanese sufferers with KIMONOS and LANTERNS! Among the women, your grandma or relatives might included - thank you very much!
Under the Japanese Archipelago, the Pacific plate and Philippine Sea plate are sinking, and energy of twisted plates must be released as enormous earthquakes at intervals. Great Kanto Earthquakes also hit Tokyo in 1855, and next giant earthquake is said to be coming. Not only Great Kanto Earthquake, but also other cyclic three giant earthquakes are worried to come - Tokai, Tonankai, Nankai Earthquakes. Especially Tokai earthquake is said to be approaching. It is not rumour, but anxiety based on scientific studies.
Thirteen years ago, the Great Hanshin Earthquake occurred. In the very early morning, our family felt the strongest quake and got up, but we were safe and TV news said nothing about the quake - while we were sleeping with relief again, more than 6400 people were dying only 30 miles away from our house.
Even if we have to have giant earthquake near future, but I don't want to see such disaster twice in my short life.
From last autumn, Japan Meteorological Agency began emergent-earthquake-warning. When they catch earthquake occur, and they figure how the quake reaches each places and deliver the information quickly. So it works well, we can know that quake will come just after SEVERAL seconds or A minute. It is expected to be useful for taking-off and landing of planes, running New Tokaido Line trains and so on. However, as you imagine, its effect is limited. We can only have too short time to do something for guarding ourselves.
Especially, the risk of Tokai Earthquake is said to be imminent, and government have put huge money into research of earthquake prediction. More than 30 years struggles, usual people become to have the image that earthquake prediction must be possible near future, but the matter of the fact is the experts are abandoning the possibility of earthquake prediction. Besides the lots of money was spent on the earthquake prediction project, most of old building of schools and hospitals are left without quake resistance. As you know, many school buildings were destroyed in China, and media and politicians begin to say we have to spend more money not into earth prediction project but into making the school and other public buildings earthquake-proof.
However, my worst anxiety is about atomic power plant. Hamaoka Atomic Power Plant is built just is the area of Tokai Earthquake. There are four furnaces, and the old one was built in 1976. The oldest furnaces had couple of troubles in the past, and now stopped, but the rest two are still working. The furnaces were built to endure the greatest earthquake - it was explained that it was designed to endure 600 GAL quake, which was the strongest possible quake. Recently it was reinforced, and now furcaces are said to endure 1000 GAL quake.
However, last year a big earthquake occur in the Niigata district, and an atomic power plant was on the active fault, which induced the quake. The furnaces scramed. Small fire broke out, but fire was extinguished, and fortunately disaster didn't happened.
However, we were astonished to hear that the quake of furnace were more than 2000 GAL!
The China earthquake must be way stronger than the quake Japanese experts imagined. So now, we must claim that reinforcement against 1000 GAL quake is NOT enough!
However, approx 30% of the country's power needs are met by nuclear power. We seem not to be able to stop the atomic power plant easily, and on the other hand, reinforcement of furnace is said to cost almost $10 billion yen for a plant.
So many Japanese are worrying about Tokai and Kanto earthquake, and in addition we are not sure about the safety of Hamaoka Atomic Plant at such heavy earthquake. Sometimes I feel why people can feel so easy despite we know we are living on such fragile security.
However, now, we only hope aftershock cease soon and all helps reach immediately to the afflicted area in China.
Thank you for reading to the end. Today we will list some fukusa, uchishiki, kimono, fabric, bolt and antique items. We are very happy if you find your favorite among them!
Ichiro & Yuka Wada
Kimono Flea Market "ICHIROYA"
http://www.ichiroya.com
****** No. 248 **************************************************************
Dear Customers & Friends
Hello from Japan! This is Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.248.
Today we would like to write about a famous daimyo, most popular samurai hero 'Nobunaga'. Almost all Japanese know him, and he have been the most popular warring lord. Recently I (Ichiro) read a novel about him, and had new findings about his charm.
I have heard that one of the most popular and great hero of Western people is Gaius Julius Caesar. I also read a nonfiction written by Nanami Shiono and learn about this great hero, and felt that Japanese heroes seems to be way smaller compared to him.
However, after I read the novel('Geten wa Yuke ka?" by You Tsumogo) about Nobunaga Oda, I rediscovered the our Japanese hero is also GREAT! I would like to write some topics about him and convey why he have been so respected by many people.
For the basic information about Nobunaga, please refer this page of Wiki.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oda_Nobunaga
*He had IRON NERVES!
He was a son of small castellan. When his father died, he was named as the successor, but some of his family and retainers didn't accept him as their lord, because he was said to be 'Perfect Fool of Owari'. He killed and purged his brothers and relatives and unified Owari province. When he was 26 years old, neighboring powerful daimyo Yoshimoto Imagawa attacked him with great army of 25,000. His clan only had army of 2500 - a tenth! The Oda clan's generals couldn't imagine they could win, and recommended Nobunaga to surrender. He didn't agree, and also didn't give any tactics. However, he sortied from his castle suddenly, and made a sudden attack in the rain. Yoshimoto Imagawa was resting in Okehazama unwarily, and Nobunaga stormed aiming only Yoshimoto Imagawa. His blitz tactics succeeded miraculously. They found Yoshimoto, and killed him. Imagawa army drew off in chaos. At this battle, Nobunaga had to prepare for death, but tried only a way to win with defrauding also his s
oldiers. Different from other daimyo, he rushed into the middle of the enemy, and wielded spear and sword by himself. Not only this battle, but also at other two battles, when his plan or life was facing a crisis, he rushed into the enemy at the forefront of his forces. His soldiers roused and run after him with thinking 'Never enemy kill our Nobunaga!' He was very realistic person, so at the other battles, he was very careful and prepared well, and never expose himself to enemies, but when it was necessary he never hesitated to do so.
*He was free from common sense, tradition and convention.
Famous another battle of his is Takeshino Battle against Takeda clan. Takeda clan's knights were told to be the strongest in Japan. Firearm was already brought to Japan, but at the time, it was still awkward arm, and not to be thought as main force. It was arquebus hackbut, and took too long time to fill and fire a gun - knights had to reach the shootist and kill him, if the first shot didn't hit. Nobunaga made barriers against horse rush, and arranged three rows shootists. Front row fired, they went back, and second row fired next. Back row filled during the front and the second fired, and when they came to the front, they fired at last. So knights had to stalled at the barrier, and bullets were poured with short intervals. His new fighting methods brought great victory. Takeda clan also had firearms, but they didn't think firearms might be used such way.
Another famous topic which indicates Nobunaga's creativity is 'giant iron ship'. His naval force were facing an uphill battle. Murakami and Mouri clans had the strongest naval force - Murakami clan was good at using 'houroku dama'(a kind of bomb) and Oda's ships were always fired. Nobunaga thought if ship was covered with iron, ship never would be fired. It was around 1570, and iron covered ship didn't exist in the world. Nobunaga ordered the iron covered giant ship to ship carpenters they were completed. His giant iron covered ship won dramatically against Murakami naval force - they were never fired no longer, and from the clearances of iron, bullets and fire arrows were poured. These iron ships played a big role to unity of Japan.
He never believed what he couldn't see. He never believed in an afterlife nor God. He never believed ghost nor miracles by monk although He protected Christianity. If he heard a monk was curing ill persons, he picked him up to his front, and brought sick man and ordered the monk to cure him. If he heard his soldier was troubled by a samurai ghost who he killed, Nobunaga send his soldiers and ordered to confirm the ghost's appearance. Of course, as he believed, ghost nor miracles didn't exist.
At his age, many Buddhist monks bore arms, and held against samurai. Nobunaga attacked them, and killed lots of monks and fired and destroyed many temples without remorse. It was the age of awe and superstition to the world, usual people feared Gods and something connected to Buddhism. His very realistic world knowledge was marvelous!
*He had great aim, and run on with making every second count.
His aim was unification of Japan, and helping common folk from tyrannicalness of other daimyo, dearth and other troubles. He pushed himself to battles against other daimyos and monks, and at a time, he gave good administration to the people under him. He prohibited mystery to eliminate newcomers ( 'rakuichi, rakuza') and scrapped checking stations ('sekisho'), and encouraged merchants and artisans free transaction.
He worked hard, practiced military art and horse riding and slept very short everyday. He always meditated every thing and gave instructions. He liked austerity, and he became luxurious only when it was needed for his aim. He was killed just before he completed the unification, but he dreamed to look for places in abroad where he could spread his governance. He let his men work incredibly hard, but his men show their boss and accepted his hard use.
*He was realistic right down the line.
When he was shown a globe, and heard that earth was sphere by a Western missionary priest, he was said to recognize it immediately and say it stood to reason. Of course, his followings couldn't understand it. I think this topic is very interesting and good sample for Nobunaga's realistic thinking method. Nobunaga had to feel - if there is the limitation of the world, sphere must be the simplest explanation.
His strategy was very realistic, and was prepared both for war and alliance always. He knew well about the essence of human, and never dropped his guard to anybody - only a person he could believe was his father.
He is assaulted that he was too cruel - he let his men kill tens of thousands of people. To quell of insurgence of 'Ikkou shu'(one of Buddhism), he never allowed surrender and slaughtered lots of people. In his age, quell of Ikkou shu was very strong, and Nobunata worried that they might overthrow the samurai's governance. He was cruel also to his enemy samurai, merry men who were not insubordinate and everybody who opposed him. He sometimes cut(killed) people by himself when they did something wrong.
Such cruelty made everybody freak, and both his men and enemy had deep awe and fear. Nobunaga well knew, such his cruel actions was also necessary if he needed to bring all Japanese people to heels.
However, in his last ages, he was said to harden suspicions too much, and his atrocity was too much over the necessity.
Don't you feel he was very catching character? If you are interested in him, please refer above wiki's page.Nobunaga is the one of the most popular hero, and lots of novels and films had been made for long time.
Thank you very much for reading to the end!
Today we will list uchishiki design papers, children's kimono, men's kimono, accessories, fabric, bolts and antique items. We are very happy if you could find your favorite among them!
Have a nice weekend!
Ichiro & Yuka Wada
Kimono Flea Market "ICHIROYA"
http://www.ichiroya.com
****** No. 249 **************************************************************
Dear Customers & Friends
Hello from Japan! This is Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.249.
We already wrote almost 250 letters for these 6 years. Approx 10 new readers register our mailing list everyday, and now we have near 10000 readers. Thank you so much for registering your e-mail address in our mailng list and thank you for reading this newsletter!
Recently we suffer from the topics of this letter - almost all topics which we can think of were already written. Major topics about kimono and Japanese culture seem not to remain more. However, for the recent joined readers, we had better write again about the major topics again. So we would like to write the same topics at times, so please forgive if you already know the topics well.
In this letter, we would like to write about our company history.
I(Ichiro) graduated from university in 1983. I was majored in science of fisheries, but I went university for 5 years, and was an icehockey player, did lots of part time jobs, and read many books and had a dream to become a novelist. My university was in Kyoto, so I had lived 5 years in the center place of Kyoto. When I looked for a job, I repeated a course and had bad grade, and my selling points was only icehocky - but of course, all recruitment staff seemed not to account my university life.
Daimaru department store( one of the largest department store in Japan) hired me. I didn't know her, but also Yuka was hired at the time. Both we were assigned to 'nabe'(pan) department. We sold various 'nabe'(pan) everyday - best grade pan was 'Vita Craft'(made in USA!), and various colorful small pans were sold, because they were often bought as presents. I was interested in Yuka, but I couldn't have much interest in pans. So I focused my interest on Yuka, and we got married in next spring.
My working place was shifted at intervals - Japanese table ware, Western table ware, toiletry and so on. I also worked as planning department - I worked for various store's events and selling events like 'Japan Artisan Fair', 'Italian Fair' and so on. When I worked at Japanese table ware and as planning staff, I visited many artisans all over Japan, and had interest in Japanese handiworks.
After the marriage, Yuka quit the department store, and taught English to kids. She was an exchange student when she was in high school and stayed in California for a year, majored in English at university. We had two daughters, 'Shoko' and 'Mugi'. 'Mugi' means 'wheat', which we took from Bible (Yuka and her mother are Christ 'Shoko' has the meaning of happiness, but its pronunciation also means 'writing'. When we had 'Shoko', I still had strong dream to become a writer.
Besides the work of department store, I had tried to write novels for a long time. However, I realized my writings like novel were not valuable. I loved Saul Bellow, Haruki Murakami, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and so on.
When I was around 35, I finished a long novel-like text and applied to a literary prize. My self-confident work left out of the first selection - I completely gave up the dream to become a novelist.
From that day, I noticed that I had nothing to do seriously, and began to focus my all efforts to address the tasks at hand. It was quite late for the career and advancement, but when we did so, suddenly the work of department store became interesting for me. I became incredible hard worker, and worked for a long time without caring my family. I especially liked the planning connected to handicrafts, although it was not the mainstream of department store.
When I became 40 years old, I felt ill at ease. Mainstream of department store was the women's contemporary fashion, and I couldn't have interest especially in young women's fashion. In addition, sales amount of department stores was considerably declining, and sales event expense was cut drastically. At that time, my main skill was 'planning sales event' and ' home ware/ handicraft merchandise ', and both skills were becoming worthlessness. However, I was still 40 years old, had family - two daughters to raise, and house loan remained a lot.
Here in Japan, career move of middle age is still unusual and risky - most career move decreases the salary, and also most self-dependence ends with bankrupt.
I wanted to do business independently, but I was extremely scared. Yuka head my hope, and didn't oppose, but I couldn't determine for a year.
Finally, one day, I asked my boss to hear my story, and in a small room,I said I would quit this company. My voice quavered. He was astonished to hear, but didn't held me up.
I didn't think to go to other company or work for somebody. I decided to start my own business independently with Yuka. I had couple of business plans when I quit the job.
The first idea was the B to B site(internet) business, which would connect sellers and department stores. Its plan looked fantastic, when I thought before resignation, but after really I lost job, I felt such grand plan never would go well. I abandoned the plan, and next, I planned to open a store which sell ethnic items - I looked for location, and I did traffic analysis with Yuka. If we wanted good location, rental rate was expensive, and sales amount had to be planed more high. We decided the location, but if we did so, we had to spent almost all money for rental rate and buying stocks. So we were never allowed to fail. We already had appointment to the owner of location, but I was not sure about success. Before the appointment, we visited a public consultant, and showed location and our plan. Hearing our plan, immediately, he pronounced that our plan had to fail. As he said, our plan was not gestated, and didn't have reality what we wanted to sell and to whom we sell. We
called the owner, and apologized that we had to cancel the contract.
Three moths passed idly. I read various business magazines, and run on bike to look stores and location, and laid down my body on daughter's bed in the daytime.
Money decreased everyday. I was a hard worker, and wanted to do any work ,but I couldn't find what I should do.
At last, I gave up having a real store. I thought if we could have some items, which could be sold at a small wagon at shopping center, we had to be able to begin our business with very small capital. We reached such down to earth idea, and one day, we went out to Shitennoji Temple to look for such small items.
Various sellers gathered in Shitennoji temple, and lots of people came included foreign people. At the temple, I came across vintage kimono for the first time in the true sense of the term.
Kurotomesode which was sold on the road, had incredibly fabulous hand dyed yuzen work!
And the price were incredibly cheap! I had seen lots of kimonos at department store, but at the department store, I understood I didn't see them really.
We thought 'artisan's work of vintage kimono was wonderful, and not valued!'
Before that time, we had lots of discussions, 'international kimono internet shop' was also discussed. However, we thought foreigner never had interested in kimono, and they had not to be able to wear because of size problem and difficulty of wearing kimono(wearing kimono in traditional way is quite complicated). So we thought such web shop never sold well and abandoned the plan easily.
We looked for foreigners, and Yuka addressed them.
'How do you think about kimono?'
Two foreign girls answered, ' Kimono must be fantastic souvenir for my mother.'
'Can she wear kimono?'
'She can wear it as bathrobe or gown.'
'Bathrobe or Gown?'
'Sure. Why not?'
We found another male foreigner who were buying bunch of kimono. We asked the shop owner why he bought such large amount of kimonos. She said he was a kimono buyer, and he sent those kimonos to his country!
Yuka affirmed 'We do this!'
We went to the bank, and withdraw 50000yen(approx500USD) and bought as much kimono as we could. Yuka selected all kimonos without specialized knowledge.
My mother Michiko had sewn kimono for a very long time, so she knew very well about kimono. I brought kimonos we bought to my mother's house and ask her and got basic information about them. I took photos of them, and listed in ebay auction with praying.
A week later, all items were sold at good prices!
We went into raptures - we could earn by vintage kimono for a while!
So this is the beginning of ICHIROYA's business, and it was the story of 2001, 7 years ago.
Thank you for reading to the end. And thank you very much for your long time patronage, and letting us possible to continue our business - arigatougozaimasu!
Today we will list some contemporary uchikake, large size yukata, child yukata, bolt and 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
****** No. 250 **************************************************************
Dear Customers& Friends
Hello from Japan! This is Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.250.
Today Ichiro is attending an auction and our second daughter Mugi is helping him and I (Yuka) am writing this newsletter.
I want to write about one president who achieved hiw dream with his strong will and ambition, but before that, I want to tell about one tragedy happend last Sunday.
The tragedy happened in Akihabara- it is a very popular place where many shoppers visit. This particular area has so many shops of electronic appliance, computer, anime goods(fugures, comics and all things related to anime). There are many tourists from abroad also to this area.
Akihabara:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akihabara
On Sundays the main street becomes car-free mall and there were many people - it was a little past noon, one big truck ran into the people, and a 25-year-old man got off from the truck and stabbed whoever he saw with his knife. 7 people lost their lives - the joyful area turned into a nightmare. This man was announcing this murder beforehand at cell phonewebsite where he had been posted his message continuously. As we get to know what he had in his mind, we cannot help feeling so painful.
Among his message, he kept saying `I want a real friend.` `Nobody understands me`. His message was read by many people but he had no friends. He wished someone could have stopped him from doing that but chatting on cellphone website was no help. Today my pastor said he has written the same thing with this man in his diary when he was 15 years old. He said he never showed his diary to anyone but this man who comitted this murder was 25 years old and he was showing his dialog to many unknown people through this chatting website. What he did can never be justified but we all had to see his darkness of mind, and it is as heavy as lead. Working as a part time worker- he had no vision nor hope about his future. He thought he could never get out of this darkness.
The man I wanted to write about today was not this man.
I wanted to write about Miki Watanabe who is an outstanding business person. His mother died when he was small and his father's company went bankrupt. He decided to become a president when he was in elementary school. After graduating from college, he worked as a courier of SAGAWA Express and saved 300 million yen(approx US $28000) and started to run a restaurant- it is not a fancy restaurant, and it was one of a franchise chain.
Now his dream is to own 1000 restaurants during this year and it seems quite possible. Since he has started his business 14 years ago, he noticed the importance of food, so he made a farm for and then he built nursing homes, became a director of a school which was almost going bankrupt.
This is Miki Watanabe:
http://business.nikkeibp.co.jp/article/person/20070618/127694/
There are people who dislike him because of his `talk' about his dreams. He always talks about his vision and plans. He keeps small note with his plan with the date he settled.
In Japan there is a saying, the proverbial nail sticking up hihgly is ready to be hammered. There are people who think he is a lip server. But at least he has achieved something - even though they may not have been perfect and he is seeking for better. He is trying to serve safe and delicioius food at his nursing homes with reasonable cost, using the experience of running restaurant business.
He thinks it is not fair -only some very rich peopole can go to a nice nursing home. He thinks ordinary people should be able to live in a cozy place and being served nice and warm food with moderate cost. With his long term vision, he says he can see what he should do now. We are expecting to see his business grow especially with nursing business.
I do not mean to compare the two men who went opposite way, but I wonder what made the difference.
Strong will? How the person is raised?
That man could have done something else, but all he did was to resent other people and blame his environment.
If only that young man who comitted the murder could step out of the darkness somehow and could achieve one small thing which prevented him from feeling the strong alienation--the tragedy did not need to happen.
Today we are listing obi, obi packs, bolt and interesting antique items.
We hope you enjoy browsing our new arrivals and shop with us!
Ichiro & Yuka Wada
Kimono Flea Market "ICHIROYA"
http://www.ichiroya.com
****** No. 251 **************************************************************
Dear Customers & Friends
Hello from Japan! This is Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News Letter No.251.
We are in the rainy season 'tsuyu', and we are having a continuous spell of rainy weather. 'Hotaru'( lightning bug ) season seems to be ending. Do you have a nice early summer season in your place?
We wrote in previous mail that we already had written almost all topics we could think of, and had difficult in getting new topics for news letter. Many readers sent us email and let us know various topics which readers will be interested in. Thank you very much for your help!
Today we will write about 'house' we live and experienced.
When I was young ( till high school age ), I lived in a bizarre-shaped shape house with my parents. Our house was built on the long and thin land - approx 4.5 meter x 25 meter ( 14.7ft x 82ft ), and one side was used as the road, so house was built on 3 meter x 25 meter ( 9.8ft x 82 ft) land.
As you can easily imagine, its shape is too narrow and long for usual house. There were 6 rooms, bath and entrance space, but all rooms were connected in a direct line. There was no room for corridor, so when we moved to other rooms, we had to pass over other rooms by God. Only a room in the northern end had peculiar privilege not to be used as an aisle.
My parents often called our houses as 'Unagi no nedoko' masochistically, which means 'bed of eel'. Such long shape house was irregular, and there was a reason about the land's shape. My parents run small store in the southern end room, which was opened to the wider road. They sold bread, snack,stationery products and others to students and neighbors. They said sales was very good in the early times, but later, a neighbor began a similar small store, and sales fell to half, and they closed the store. My father took off all merchandise and store fixtures, and made a ping-pong table by himself. Top board was made of many wood, so bad bounce was often, but we enjoyed ping-pong a lots! Later, he took off the table, and ordered a carpenter to make it a room.
Under those circumstances, our house became such LONG one.
All rooms except one southern end room were 'washitsu'(Japanese style) rooms, and had tatami floor. Southern end room floor was wood, and carpeted. When grandma was alive, northen end room was her room. In southern end carpeted room, sofa and stereo set were arranged and we called the room as 'ousetsuma'( best room). It was around 1970, and such 'Western style ousetsuma'( best room ) was usual also for middle/lower class people like us. We didn't have many visitors as expected, and we only used the room when we listened the records ( we only had few records, so the room was not often used.)
The room next the 'best room' was kitchen - there was sink and stove in a side, and floor of near them was made of wood. A TV set was placed in a corner, and in the center, a low table was set, and we ate here with kneeling on cushions('zabuton'). In winter season, low table was replaces by 'kotatsu' ( small table with an electric heater underneath and covered by a quilt ). Family member stayed in this room for longest time, and talked ate, drank tea and watched TV.
Next room was the bed room of parents. Of course, there was not 'bed' at all, futon was stored in the 'oshiire'(closet), and when they slept, they pull out futon and spread on tatami floor.
In the daytime, my mother set a long table, and sat and sewed kimonos always. (She worked for a kimono store near our house.) And at eleven p.m., she finished working, and took off the table board and spread the futon for them.
When our relatives came to our house, 'shouji'(paper door) between the kitchen and bed room was removed, and both rooms were used as a dinning room. It is a feature of Japanese style house that each rooms can be jointed easily by taking off 'shouji' doors. For such cases, low folding tables were prepared, and relatives sat on 'zabuton' cushion and eat on the low table.
The lifestyle in my parents' house became old fashioned and thing of the past. When we got married, we lived in a modern condominium building, there was only one 'washitsu'(tatami room) in our condo.
Floors of kitchen, dining and children's room were wooden floor, and we sit on the chairs or sofas in most rooms. We used 'washitsu' room as our bed room, and we spread futon only in the night.
And now, our house has two 'washitsu' rooms besides a Western style bed room, and we seldom use them. Our house has a Western style bed room and 'washitsu' is only used as visitor's room.
Anyway, in olden time, Japanese people's life style was based on 'tatami' floor. People sat directly on the tatami floor, slept directly on the tatami floor. And therefore, people took off their shoes when they stepped into their houses.
And 'haribako'(sewing box), 'hibachi'(brazier), urushi tables, and other all Japanese furnitures and items were designed to be used directly on the tatami floor.
Western people seem to feel strange to taking off shoes, but for we Japanese, going inside house with shoes on looks strange. When we are invited into Western friends house, we Japanese are worried that our shoes may soil the expensive carpet.
If you don't have experienced yet, we hope you would have a chance to live on tatami floor.
Tatami's touch is cool, comfortable and relax!
Thank you for reading to the end. Today we will list some asa kimono, antique uchikake, kimono, obijime-obiage set, uchikake fabric, bolt and antique items. We are very happy if you cound find your favorite among them!
Ichiro & Yuka Wada
Kimono Flea Market "ICHIROYA"
http://www.ichiroya.com
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