ART of KIMONO: design, fashion and fine art of Japanese kimono

Kimono as Art: The Landscapes of Itchiku Kubota

2009-02-04T09:24:00.010-05:00

Kimono Exhibit Opens In Canton - Akron-Canton News Story - WEWS Cleveland: "An exhibit of kimonos considered to be artistic masterworks opens Feb. 8 at the Canton Museum of Art.
The show runs until April 26.'

Kimono as Art: The Landscapes of Itchiku Kubota,' includes 40 oversized kimono featuring patterns inspired by nature.

Kubota spent a year creating each kimono. He had hoped to make 75 to form a tapestry of the garments, but he died in 2003 after completing 30 pieces. His family carries on his work.

The kimonos are coming to Canton because of a personal connection to W.R. Timken, a former ambassador to Germany and member of the founding family of the Timken Company, a Canton-based manufacturer of industrial products and steel. Timken visited Kubota's museum in Japan in 2004 and met the artist's son. Their acquaintance paved the way for the show in Canton."

preview form the exhibit

preview form the exhibit

preview form the exhibit

preview form the exhibit

preview form the exhibit

preview form the exhibit

preview form the exhibit

preview form the exhibit

preview form the exhibit
preview form the exhibit :

Ohio.com - Special events mark Kimonofest:

"The exhibit 'Kimono as Art: The Landscapes of Itchiku Kubota' at the Canton Museum of Art has inspired a plethora of events celebrating Japanese food and culture. Here are just some of the events taking place during Kimonofest:"

see the Itchiku Kubota Video

KABUKI and kimono

2009-02-03T10:02:00.012-05:00

I started a research on topic of kabuki thinking of series of artwork on the topic.

First I pulled out some photos I shot yeas ago at a Kabuki performance .

Second, I started my web research about kabuki and theatrical outfit for the performance.

Resources about kabuki on the web :

The best source on the kabuki topic I found on the web is www.kabuki21.com excellently organized and very extensive I am going to research this site more shortly and post my findings. For right now I just want to recommend this source to everybody who is doing research on kabuki especially KABUKI GLOSSARY

other sources :
acording to this source

Kabuki came into existence around 1603 with the arrival in Kyoto of a troupe of dancing girls led by a certain Izumo-no-Okuni, formerly a shrine maiden. Their dances created a sensation and were labelled "kabuki", which at the time meant "unorthodox" or "eccentric". Such troupes of women were subsequently banned as were those of the dancing boys that took their place.

According to Mark Oshima

Originally the word ‘kabuki’ meant something ‘off beat’ or not quite moral and began with colorfully dressed, swaggering ex-samurai, courtesans and other street people in the early Edo period. Today the word is written with characters for ‘song,’ ‘dance,’ and ‘acting.’ These are the key elements of kabuki.

Japan: Filling the God Vacuum

2006-12-18T19:40:00.000-05:00

Japan: Filling the God Vacuum: "the Japanese love affair with all things Western means a growing number of them are trading in the traditional kimono for the big white dress and tux."

one more digital kimono by Irina V. Ivanova

2006-12-14T23:14:00.000-05:00

One more digital kimono by Irina V. Ivanova
ink on paper drawing with fully computerized rendering

More on watercolor as a medium for art of kimono.

2006-12-01T00:37:00.000-05:00

More on watercolor as a medium for art of kimono. I want to post one more watercolor from the set of illustrations that I posted some time ago

"Japanese Tea Ceremony" and kimono

2006-11-26T17:49:00.000-05:00

Cha-no-yu is is "Japanese Tea Ceremony" for me as for someone who love tea a lot ( especially green tea) this is especially delicious part of Japanese tradition.Evidently, this aspect of Japanese ritual is intersecting with tradition of Kimono.( see This image ) Ritual of Tea Ceremony and tradition of kimono are sides of the same archetype: traditional Japanese aesthetics.
Acording to Takeya Yamasaki director of Cha-no-yu International.( The Japan Times Online)

"'Wearing the kimono teaches the value of tradition. Even modern young girls when they wear kimono begin to behave decorously. We have four principles of harmony, respect, purity and tranquillity. Since I have been practicing for years, even when I was furious at a negotiating table I could produce harmony. The tea ceremony teaches us in an innocent and compact way how to live our lives.'"

Kimono in watercolor medium

2006-11-20T14:36:00.000-05:00

I feel that watercolor is the most natural medium for depicting of kimono. May be it is because of asymmetrical nature of kimono dressed body and because of visual fluidity of silhouette is better to in watercolor medium ? Watercolor allows you to not be exact . It allows you luxury of impreciseness. Image above created in watercolor media with some gouache editing.

certificate on how to wear a kimono??

2006-11-15T01:15:00.000-05:00

Japanese Ikebana florist Mikiko Inoue about kimono in modern japan:
Royal Gazette: "On the kimono, Ms Inoue said: “Today few women wear kimonos, except at a wedding or a funeral and not so many women know how now either. Hairdressers put kimonos on them, as in Japan have to have a certificate on how to wear a kimono.”"
Is it really ture ? Certificate on how to wear a kimono??

Kimono design by Rachel Orren stylized by Nicole Arellano.

2006-11-09T15:28:00.000-05:00

We wanted to keep this photo very simple. This was designed as an accessories shot with the fan being the accessory, but we also wanted to show off the color, print and texture of the kimono. Kimono designed and created by Rachel Orren. Make-up, hair and styling by Nicole Arellano.

exports to Japan from China : Kimonos popularity is up?

2006-11-07T08:43:00.000-05:00

acording to Fibre2fashion, News Desk - China, exports to Japan from China :
"traditional suits of Kimono, its exports turnover touched $63 million, posted year–on–year rise of four percent. "
Year–on–year four percentrise ? Does it mean that Kimono's popularity is increasing in Japan? Or, I misread the statistics?

Stylized kimono

2006-11-01T23:35:00.000-05:00

In conclusion to "small face" reflections and asymmetry observations I would presume that the way to stylize image of Kimono is to emphasize asymmetry and exaggerate “small face” effect.

Kimono as asymmetry

2006-10-31T16:24:00.000-05:00

In my view asymmetry is a foundation of beauty of kimono: It almost symmetrical in its pattern but ion the body it is always asymmetrical

if indeed : "The Japanese are masterful at asymmetry and kimono are superb examples. They are balanced but not perfectly symmetrical"
According to Robyn Taylor Author form Australian artlink.com "Japanese usually favour asymmetry."

as in ikebana which is acording to this text of von Marianne Sikora-Schoeck An Ikebana arrangement is always asymmetric. In ikebana "the chief characteristics-asymmetry" kimono is another dimention of this asymmetric concept . No image of kimono on the body is shows symmetry. Is it because as von Marianne Sikora-Schoeck wrote "the rules lead to asymmetry and imply it as a natural law. It is the premise for the never repeated variety of possibilities of arranging."?

Kagao "small face" digital art from my collection

2006-10-30T20:34:00.000-05:00

In continuation of "small face" topic I deiced to visualize my understanding of kagao. Of course it is eclectic and not authentic,. My goal was not a visual research but a metaphor. Initial title of this piece was “ Japanese visage “ but after kagao research ( which ids still going on ) I decided to re-name this piece . The new title is Kagao. This piece is digital print on canvas
20"x 30" from my art of kiomono collection.

Art of Kimono is currently on the top in the Google blogsearch

2006-10-28T10:05:00.000-05:00

Art of Kimono blog is currently on the top in the Google Blog search engine with keyword “kimono” .

Thank you Google!!!!!

Portraits of Beautiful Women

2006-10-17T05:45:00.000-05:00

In continuation of research about proportions of Japanese beauty, started from my “small face” posting, I did some digging in art history trying to establish the difference in understanding of beautiful proportions in Japanese tradition in western tradition.
Japanese Ukiyo-e Printmakers Suzuki Harunobu (1724-70),( see his image to the right) Torii Kiyonaga (1752-1815) (see his artowrk to the left) did establish the system of beautiful proportions for women.

acording to this article form this site "Harunobu, ... depicted women as dolls in a world of fantasy. Kiyonaga's beauties were rendered with a special system of proportion known as hattoshin -- the subject's body being divided into eight parts. Kiyonaga was particularly regarded for the realism of his background scenes. Utamaro concentrated on half-length and bust portraits, and was noted for outlining the features of the face which, with decoratively designed hair and gorgeously lavish robes, created a sweeping composition, as well as for the emphasis he gave to facial expression, although casual"

Acording to the autor of the article " western viewers may find it difficult at times to discern variation." However, approximately in the same time The British statesman and philosopher, Edmund Burke (1729–1797). wrote in his essay "On the Sublime and Beautiful"

Some hold it to be seven heads; some make it eight; whilst others extend it even to ten; a vast difference in such a small number of divisions! Others take other methods of estimating the proportions, and all with equal success. But are these proportions exactly the same in all handsome men? or are they at all the proportions found in beautiful women?
(read the full text )

May be Japanese and Western sense of human body proportions was identical in the same period of time?

KOGAO, or “little face”

2006-10-17T05:38:00.000-05:00

Concept of KOGAO, or “little face” is absolutely mysterious to me. I bumped into this term when doing my research about proportions in Japanese ideal of women’s beauty. I see now that I scratched the surface of something very interesting. Below are some of my findings that I am going to think through step by step:

Small face as an ideal of beauty is correlated with concept of ideal proportions in Japanese tradition.

Acording to this source "while 'kogao' (small face) is a compliment, 'nekozura' is usually derogatory. "

Acording to The Japan Times Online

"Height and build also enter into the small-face equation because any face will appear smaller when perched atop a long, leggy body. The ideal seems to be having a head that makes up one-eighth of your total height, expressed in Japanese as hattoshin (literally, eight-heads-body). This, my friend Yoshiko told me, is the head-body ratio most Westerners have, while Japanese noggins are more likely to be bigger in proportion to the body. That body type worked fine when Japanese wore kimono and big hair, she said, but makes it harder to look stylish in Western clothing."

There are special techniques and devises which can help to obtain “small face”

Acording to The sirens of Tokyo: "To obtain a kogao, or “little face,” there is an endless range of products, from sauna masks to creams. You cna see the image of the "stylish mask while taking a bath to achieve a cute small face (”kogao”).

kimono from Pointybunny's collection part 2

2006-10-14T22:09:00.000-05:00

I am posting photos of Kimono’s detail and close up on kimono’s fabric from Pointybunny's collection. This is psting is follow up on my previous posting. Thank you, Pointybunny!

kimono from Pointybunny's collection

2006-10-11T20:36:00.000-05:00

My fellow blogger Pointybunny was kind enough to photograph and send me images of kimonos form her collections . Beautiful kimonos!! Thank you ,Pointybunny!!! I am going to post some details and fabric’s images form Pointybunny’s collection shortly .Pointybunny publish fascinating blog Hello Gaijin! Adventures in Tokyo.

collage "Back View of Kimono" by Carrie Scott

2006-10-09T20:04:00.000-05:00

The “Back View of Kimono” was inspired by the “Femmage” of Miriam Schapiro.
Schapiro celebrated the beauty in women’s use of material and technique to produce art that had been overlooked throughout history.
Also having a great interest in Eastern culture, I wanted to create something reminiscent of a kimono while still encompassing a bit of abstraction.
To support a more abstract feel, I created this by purely on my memory of the appearance of a kimono. I combined different patches of material resembling silk brocade in several layers and angles to complete “Back View of Kimono”.

Carrie Scott

Carrie is a graphic designer currently residing in Coral Springs, Florida. You are welcome to visit her website www.carriescottart.com

concept of kimono : at Mark K. Wheeler Gallery

2006-10-03T15:02:00.000-05:00

I presented two artwork at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale (AiFL) faculty annual art show at Mark K. Wheeler Gallery

Artworks are interesting to me because with them I explore the concept of a silhouette what is my field of interests.
Technically these pieces are digital rendering of original pencil drawings . The size of original prints is 30 inches x 40 inches ( approximately 75 cm x 100 cm)
Images presented on the show are 13” x 19” digital ink jet prints on paper . Title :
“concept of kimono “

art of kimono - A Xanga Blogring

2006-09-29T21:00:00.000-05:00

art of kimono - A Xanga Blogring

I just created webring on

Xanga.com Let us see may be other interested in Kimono bloggers will share my search.

kimono fabric

2006-09-28T12:17:00.000-05:00

Beautiful kimono fabric from Japan courtesy of fellow blogger from Adventures in Tokyo blog . She promise to post more of Kimono related images from her collection. I am looking forward to that .

"Tuck a kimono blouse into a pencil skirt"- TURNING Japanese

2006-09-27T06:36:00.000-05:00

Acording to Lowell Sun Online - Fashion is turning Japanese:
Is it a new fashion trend ?
Slip into a flattering look that is making waves from Tokyo to Tyngsboro -- Kimono-inspired dresses and tops.
Kimono fashion?Why not? It is democratic:

it is not for size 2's only.

With flowing sleeves and fitted high-waists, most anyone call pull off this style.

art of kimono blog joining technorati directory

2006-09-24T12:27:00.000-05:00

Technorati Profile

M. Kathleen Colussy presented: TraDigital

2006-09-22T08:36:00.000-05:00

Can kimono be digital?
Author and designer M. Kathleen Colussy explore this direction making digital kimono demonstrating an excellent match of high tech printing technology and traditions of kimono.

Last year she presented digital Kimono on art show TraDigital at Mark K. Wheeler Gallery Fort Lauderdale
According to Kathleen Colussy: the works are comprised of several different mediums including painting, photography, and digital rendering. The pieces have all been digitally printed on substrates of natural and synthetic fibers.

According to Kathleen her hopes are that in her art one can see that she enjoys exploring the freedom of combining several mediums into art that embrace and celebrate life, cultural diversity, spirituality, faith and the art of story telling.
For this reason she has referred to her art as Tra-digital, because her art reflects both the traditional and non-traditional means of expression
Kathleen is ever trying to combine high tech and high touch to express a message of choice and consequences.

In addition to the show, Kathleen will were signing her two newest books for Prentice Hall/Pearson Publishing Entitled:
Fashion Sleuth- How to Research and Resource the Internet
Rendering Fashion, Fabric and Prints with Adobe Illustrator
by: M. Kathleen Colussy and her co-author: Steve Greenberg

M. Kathleen Colussy
images are courtesy of M. Kathleen Colussy .
M. Kathleen Colussy teaches at Fashion Department of T he Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale.

Japanese art resources art of kimono

2006-09-19T06:30:00.000-05:00

CGFA- Nationality / Time Frame Index (Japanese)

Fabrics for Kimono:Chirimenis fabric of choice?

2006-09-17T07:16:00.001-05:00

Chirimen is a type of Japanese silk crepe used for kimono.

According to YWCA Senri Center's Bridges program at the center in Suita, Osaka Prefecture.(see The Japan Times Online . Sunday, Sept. 10, 2006 KANSAI: Who & What)

Traditionally, women quilted leftover pieces of the fabric and made small ornaments that look like flowers, birds, animals, dolls and toys. The handiwork was handed down as a way to enhance one's needlework and artistic sense. At the class, one of the program members will teach how to make a silk camellia flower and other items.

For some reasons on according to this source

Chirimen is wrinkled (crepe paper)
Yuzen paper, by Japanese handmade cotton texture paper. So,what is it, paper or fabric or both? We are trying to figure it out an we will post info on further research as far as we clarify that.

Any way, according to this commercial source "Chirimen silk. This is a kind of crepe silk.” And we will stick with this definition for the time being .

However on on the this Japanese fabric website Chirimen is not a silk, it is rayon and they use term "Hitokoshi" chirimen, which "has smaller surface wrinkles than other kinds of chirimen crepe."

international kimono?

2006-09-15T07:50:00.000-05:00

Excellent timeline of Japan fashion from 1940 to 2000 on web-japan.org has no references to kimono. So, does it mean that kimono is irrelevant to modern Japanese fashion? Acording to this source ,transition from traditional to western dress started with men’apparel .

By the beginning of the Showa period (1926–1989),men's clothing had become largely Western, and the business suit was standard apparel for company employees.

This is apparently why men’s kimono in today’s Japan require additional efforts to stay afloat (see previous artofkimono posting ) knowing that “today, kimono have become much less common a sight in Japan.” . The question “What is the Future of Traditional Japanese Dress?” has no obvious answer for Japan. But international influence of kimono tradition is huge. I would say that kimono no longer belongs to Japan even though it originated in Japan the same way as tailored jacket no longer belongs to western Europe only.

In the same way as Harajuku fashion concept embraced western concept of fashion into Japanese cultural mode, western civilization absorbed idea of kimono.

must read:The Japanese Revolution in Paris Fashion

2006-09-12T08:22:00.000-05:00

This is an excerpt
from Brilliant book by Yuniwa Kawamura The Japanese Revolution in Paris Fashion* published by berg publishers.

paper dolls kimono’s

2006-09-11T22:54:00.000-05:00

More interesting and inspiring than kimono itself may be only paper dolls kimono’s .
According to this source
“Washi Ningyo (Japanese Paper Dolls) found its origin in a paper doll called "Anesama" Ningyo", which was favored by girls of all ages throughout Japan during the last 500 years.”
See examples of anesama and other Japanese paper craft on the page of National Clearinghouse for U.S.-Japan Studies of Indiana University

Interesting that there is special term for "elder sister doll" : which is “Anesama ningyoo” in Japanese. “There is a deep history to these paper dolls. In the Japanese feudal society, the common people were stuck within the social class in which they were born.”

Kimono for paper dolls was created form CHIYOGAMI which is According to Kimberly Crane’s brief but very informative article at kimscrane.com a “type of Japanese paper decorated with brightly colored, woodblock-printed patterns.”

Some examples of CHIYOGAMI patterns Images are courtesy of choya.com
You can see as an illustrations for my brief research

You can some images of accessories form Chiyogami
Sadly enough wooden dolls and other Japanese craft
are out of the topic of kimono focused research , may be next time?

Wearing Propaganda: kimono as a political statement

2006-09-11T21:36:00.000-05:00

Can kimono be a political statement? Sure it can take a look on Kimono’s of 1930’s and 1940’s and judge for yourself . Review form exhibition Wearing Propaganda: Textiles on the Home Front in Japan, Britain, and the United States, 1931-1945 is the first major exhibition of propaganda fashion designed and produced in Japan.

kimono patterns

2006-09-10T02:14:00.000-05:00

on the asia fashion , website you canfind some information on how tocut, how to fold ( on more how to fold tutorial) and how to dress a kimono. Site is under constriction and practically not easy to navigate therefore we cannot link on it , but it is worth to step by and to take a look.

Art of Kimono, now in watercolor

2006-09-10T01:29:00.000-05:00

Stylization of Japanese woodblock prints inspired by ancient Japanese mythology.

The medium is watercolor with light touch of gouache.
It is very special technique originally created by artist through years of practice and experimentation, by fusion of different traditions of watercolor painting into new innovative manner.

images of kimono

2006-09-10T00:51:00.000-05:00

images of kimono

Excellent resource on Traditional dress of China, Japan and Korea

2006-09-10T00:14:00.000-05:00

History and Concept of kimono as well as traditional dress of China, Japan and Korea with terrific imagery like that . I am going to keep this resource in my resource side bar and use it extensively.

Kimono for Men: what makes the wearer iki ?

2006-09-07T16:41:00.000-05:00

In the interview published at International Edition of KATEIGAHO magazine two leading figures in the Japanese fashion industry Komei Motoji and Yo Shitara were invited to discuss “the concept of kimono for men and what makes the wearer iki (stylish). The twist is that Komei Motoji promote traditional Japanese clothing in the meantime his partner for interview Yo Shitara sells Western wear.According to Motoji high technology such as Internet helps with information “for men setting out to buy their first kimono.” And what is important that traditional kimono shops becomes more modern life oriented “ trying to create an atmosphere where customers can drop in and leave as casually as they like. ”The main point of the conversation is not about place of kimono per se in Japanese culture but about men’s kimono . The general feeling expressed in the conversation is that men “feel out of place in a shop dominated by women's kimono.”

Art of Kimono as a fine art

2006-08-26T09:27:00.000-05:00

Art of Kimono is a set of small collections of artwork inspired by Japanese costume and art. Different collections are created in different medium in the range from digital applications to oil on canvas. The main idea is to explore same stylistic mode and same subject matter in variety of artistic media. You can see the collection on the web at www.artdesignivanova.com

Kimono uninspired visual art

2006-08-26T07:45:00.000-05:00

Kimono uninspired visual art was presented at the art show EAST meets WEST: fine art of fashion illustration at Mark K. Wheeler Gallery at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale (AiFL)