My proposal for WS99 is to study kimono, Japanese traditional costume. My main theme for this project is to study the relationship between kimono and Japanese people, in designing, manufacturing and wearing, and how it has been changing overtime.

First, I will look at the history of kimono, focusing on Meiji Era and onwards. Meiji Era is the time when Japan had the first major influence from the west flowing into the country. There were a lot of social changes that occurred with this wave of new cultures coming in. I hope to see what impact these changes had on kimono: how its designs and manufacturing methods differ from the period before, and how the perception of kimono changed in this era of westernization. As Japanese history progresses to the era of imperialism and war, I will look at some popular kimonos from times around WWI and WWII, and try to investigate how the tension of war was reflected in kimono, in its patterns and the ways of its consumption.

The second part of the research will be the study of kimono industry today. I will first look at kimono industry from post-war period, in connection with the first part of the research. I will continue on to look into the difficulties kimono industry is facing today, and its various efforts to survive in this “cold era” of kimono. This part of the research will include some interviews with kimono manufacturers and craftsmen of traditional kimono accessories. I hope to find out about their struggles as they try to venture into new and unfamiliar fields for the survival of their industry. I will also look at this from the consumers’ point of view, and try to determine which strategies taken kimono industry were successful in kimono marketing. I will do so by looking at some contemporary magazines that feature kimono, and by looking at various collaborations between kimono industry and other industries.

Finally, and most importantly, my research includes hands-on experiences with manufacturing a kimono accessory (“obi”: Japanese sash) and kimono fabric (Nishijin-Ori), and professional kimono dressing. Manufacturing experience will be in Kyoto, Japan, at two small craft shops. I plan to make the sash for the kimono dressing experience later, at the coming-of-age ceremony (Seijin-shiki) in Osaka, Japan. This ceremony is an annual event exclusively for those who turned 20 after the ceremony last year, and this is one of the rare occasions when young Japanese people wear kimono. This experience will serve to deepen my understanding on kimono marketing targeted towards young Japanese people. In addition to these activities, I will go to kimono museums and visit some other craft shops for my research.

Movie (Yuzen Zome, Some Koubou SHIKAMA, Nishijin Ori, NISHIJN KAIKAN, Seijinshiki)