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Courtesy of Roy Toma
Kimonos from the Edo period are an example of
the culture's wealth during its renaissance.

Exhibit
showcases beauty
of kimono

Prints of 23 masterpiece
kimonos will be on display
starting Friday

By Suzanne Tswei
Star-Bulletin

FOR the record, it was not sibling rivalry that prompted Roy Toma's search for the world's most beautiful kimonos more than a year ago. But the fact that his mother's wedding kimono ended up in his sister's hands, instead of his, certainly gave him a nudge.

"There wasn't a fight or anything. She's the girl in the family, so naturally she would get the kimono," he said. "But I thought it would be nice to have a picture of my mother's kimono, at least," Toma said.

ON VIEW What: The Art of Kimono When: When: 4 to 9 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday Where: Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii, 2454 South Beretania St., 5th floor Ewa Ballroom Cost: Free Call: 945-7633

He got a picture, and immediately saw the potential for marketing photographic reproductions of the traditional Japanese garments for his company, Metaphor Art Publishing & Communications.

Toma went to Japan and secured agreements to reproduce 23 masterpiece kimonos in prints. The prints will be on exhibit as "The Art of Kimono" at the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii for three days beginning Friday.

Unlike his mother's humble black silk kimono with pastel floral designs, the kimonos used for reproductions are among the most opulent Japan has to offer.

"We used only kimonos from the Edo period, when there was a renaissance of culture and the arts. That's when they made really, really beautiful kimonos because the country was settled and people were wealthy enough to afford these extravagant garments," Toma said.

The Edo period, between 1603 and 1868, was a time of political stability, economic prosperity and flourishing arts after a century and a half of almost constant struggles among warring factions. Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu unified the island nation and moved the capitol from Kyoto to present-day Tokyo, then called Edo.

Tokyo emerged as a fashion leader as new designs and techniques were developed to create kimonos specifically for wearers based on their gender, occupation, class and age, Toma said.

Although the kimono was derived from the style of robe worn by the Chinese, the highly embellished decorations developed in the 17th and 18th centuries earned the T-shaped Japanese garment world wide admiration.

The prints are of kimonos from three famed collections: National Museum of Japanese History, Bunka Gakuen Fashion Museum and the Saito family, who made kimonos for the aristocracy in Kyoto for nine generations.

The majority of the kimonos in the National Museum of Japanese History come from the Nomura Collection. Nomura Shojiro, a kimono connoisseur, sought out the most sumptuous examples for his textile collection.

The kimonos in the Bunka Gakuen Fashion Museum also come from a private family collection. The Mitsui family, well known as kimono makers, contributed its kimonos to the museum's collection, which includes modern court costumes as well common kimonos. The museum is part of Japan's premier fashion school, the Bunka School of Fashion.

Seeing a print isn't the same as seeing the kimono, but the high-quality prints give detailed depictions of foliage reflecting the four seasons. "You'll see the Japanese love of nature in the designs," Toma said.

The limited-edition prints are made on canvas and a variety of paper, from glossy poster paper to matte watercolor or linen paper to traditional Japanese rice paper. Some are framed, while others are presented as traditional Japanese scrolls and screens.

Prints may be ordered in various sizes, papers, frames, scrolls and screens. Prices range from $500 for a 16-by-22-inch print on paper, to $5,500 for a 60-by-80-inch print on canvas. A four-panel screen, 8-feet-by-5-feet, with two kimono images per screen, Japanese silk brocade borders and black lacquer frames costs $8,200. Orders may be placed with Pacific Art Design, which is Metaphor's representative in Honolulu.

"I am really excited about this. It is our first major exhibition, and being from Hawaii, it's nice to be able to bring the show home," said Toma, who now lives and works in Denver. Toma was born near Lahaina, Maui, and the family moved to the mainland when he was 2.

He sees the exhibition as a vehicle to promote cultural understanding of Japan and hopes to get corporate sponsorship to help him publish a book and develop a documentary on the art of Japanese kimonos.

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