Althoughlthough the kimono is not commonly worn for everyday life in Japan as it was before WWII, today it is often still associated with key celebrations and cultural events. The kimono is most prominently worn at important life milestones, especially around marriage. A furisode (literally “swinging sleeves”) is a formal kimono customarily worn by unmarried young women, as seen worn in the photographs of Nishimura Tokuko and Kawakami Masako that would have been exchanged between families during the matchmaking (omiai) process. The uchikake, as seen worn in the photograph of Iida Taka, is a stately kimono reserved for the wedding ceremony or the reception festivities. It is worn over a white silk kimono (shiromuku), unbelted like an overcoat, and usually with a silk lining (fuki) sewn on the hem to add elegance.
The majority of the kimono created by Chiso in this online exhibition are all from the personal collection of the company’s founding family, the Nishmuras. They were made for the weddings of three generations of Madame Nishimuras—Iida Taka, the thirteenth Madame Nishimura, in 1913; Nishimura Tokuko, the fourteenth Madame Nishimura, in 1938; and Kawakami Masako, the fifteenth and current Madame Nishimura, in 1971.
1913·Chiso Collection, Kyoto·Chiso LTD
Made for Iida Taka, the 13th Madame Nishimura
Yūzen-dyeing and embroidery on woven silk
Chiso created this wedding kimono for Iida Taka, who became the thirteenth Madame Nishimura. In this work there are numerous visual allusions to the classical literature of the Heian period (794–1185), such as the bridge, Yatsuhashi, from the Tales of Ise (Ise monogatari) and the courtly palanquins from the Tale of Genji (Genji monogatari). These motifs express the literary prowess and refinement of the bride, whose family established the prominent dry goods dealer, later department store, Takashimaya in 1831.
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1938·Chiso Collection, Kyoto·Chiso LTD
Made for Nishimura Tokuko, the 14th Madame Nishimura
Embroidery on woven silk
This extraordinary uchikake, or wedding kimono, is one of three kimono here made for Nishimura Tokuko, the fourteenth Madame Nishimura and the daughter of Iida Taka. The cloud and pine tree design on this uchikake is embroidered in red, green, and bluish-green with gold and silver-wrapped threads. The bold colors and striking pattern of the design evokes one of the “Kōrin patterns” (Kōrin moyō or Kōrin mon’yō) by the Rinpa artist Ogata Kōrin (1658–1716) popularly featured in textile pattern books (hinagatabon).
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1938·Chiso Collection, Kyoto·Chiso LTD
Made for Nishimura Tokuko, the 14th Madame Nishimura
Yūzen-dyeing, shibori tie-dyeing, embroidery, and gold leaf
This furisode is decorated with fan motifs set against a background depicting a light-blue pattern of bamboo blinds created through the technique of kanoko (literally “fawn spots”) shibori, a type of small circular tie-dyeing. The result is a work that is a tour de force in manual tie-resist dyeing. The dozens of fans ornamenting this furisode illustrate auspicious pairings of flora and fauna such as the foxglove and phoenix. It was customary within elite Japanese families to plant a foxglove tree (also known as paulownia, kiri) when a girl was born into the family. Years later, the wood of the tree would be carved into boxes and accessories for her marriage dowry. The phoenix represents female virtue and grace.
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1938·Chiso Collection, Kyoto·Chiso LTD
Made for Nishimura Tokuko, the 14th Madame Nishimura
Yūzen-dyeing and embroidery on woven silk
In the design of this furisode made for the fourteenth Madame Nishimura, the flock of red-crowned cranes (tanchōzuru) represents wishes of fidelity and longevity. Native to Hokkaido in Japan, the red-crowned crane mates for life and are believed to live for a thousand years. The bold black background starkly contrasts with the all-over, dynamic design of countless brilliantly colored embroidered cranes in flight above the waves.
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1971·Chiso Collection, Kyoto·Chiso LTD
Made for Kawakami Masako, the 15th and current Madame Nishimura
Yūzen-dyeing, shibori tie-dyeing, and gold leaf on woven silk
This furisode is decorated in the style of goshodoki (literally "imperial palace motifs"). While this type of decoration was customarily worn by high samurai-class women from the late 1700s to the mid-1800s, it still embellishes kimono to this day. Evoking Heian period (794-1185) classical literature and court culture, it conveys the affluence and cultural status of its wearer, such as here Kawakami Masako, whose family founded one of the oldest active sake breweries in Japan, Yoshinogawa, in 1548. The palace architecture on this furisode is accompanied by bright and various auspicious imagery, including pine, maple, plum, wisteria, and chrysanthemum.
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