(1) "A Patch to Repair Our Pottery" Kintsugi

What I loved about doing this project was either revisiting (virtually) places I had been to and people I’d met and reintroducing them to the world, or learning about so many new, interesting people and places, sometimes dismissing previously held misconceptions and replacing them with a new-found appreciations of traditional folk culture, costumes, customs and clothing.  I learned that the kimono, for example, is not the wrap-around robe-style garment I had imaged, but rather has several important components (anywhere from five to 10 parts), but perhaps you knew that. I have tried to accurately picture some of them here in this etching.  The Obi, for example, is the decorative and practical sash or belt that covers a thin ribbon called a koshihimo and gives structure to the attire.

Originally kimono simply meant clothing. The current meaning and particular style of dress, worn by both men and women, dates to the Heian period (794-1192), when the new ‘straight-line-cut” method made it possible to make the unisex garment know as a Kosade, without regard to the wearer’s size or shape. And if layered, it could be worn in all types weather. As with any fashion style, kimonos have changed over the years. During the Kamakura period (1192-1338) and the Muromachi period (1338-1573), there tended to be colorful combinations. By the Edo period (1603-1868), each samurai and his followers wore a different color (like a clan ID). During the 17^th century, there was a ban on displays of luxury, so elaborate embroidery decorations were mostly prohibited.  During the Meiji period (1868-1912), the term kimono was applied to the Kosade, but they were almost abandoned as rulers encouraged Western wear. Today, kimonos are worn chiefly for special occasions, rituals and ceremonies.  Scholar Naomi Nobel Richard writes that Japanese Kimono patterns contained cultural symbolism, rather like a Western tapestry. The cherry blossom pattern pictured would have been appropriate for a woman’s kimono and signifies, according to Richard “mortal feminine beauty.” (JSTOR Daily)