Abstract

Recommended by Yoshiharu Hoshino, CEO of Hoshino Resorts:
“A book that makes even us Japanese want to wear kimono.”

With a history of 1,000 years, the kimono is now attracting attention around the world.

In February 2020, the exhibition “Kimono: Kyoto to Catwalk” opened in London. Although its run was shortened due to COVID-19 measures, this large-scale exhibition showcased everything from the history of kimono to innovative works by contemporary designers, revealing just how much interest there is in kimono.
Encouraged by kimono’s popularity overseas, more and more Japanese people are choosing kimono for their most important occasions.
At international film festivals, young Japanese actresses have appeared in beautiful kimono, standing out even among Hollywood stars.
At the 2018 Nobel Prize ceremony, Dr. Tasuku Honjo, Distinguished Professor at Kyoto University and laureate in Physiology or Medicine, attracted attention by attending in kuro montsuki hakama, the most formal style of men’s kimono.

Now, as kimono’s presence grows around the world, is the time to understand it deeply and share it with others.

Read this book, which explains the knowledge, culture, and worldview surrounding Japanese kimono, and step out into the global community.

Author’s Information

Eriko Uesugi
Kimono image consultant. Founder of “Wasojuku: Discover Another You Through Kimono,” a school that teaches people to wear kimono with style.
While studying abroad as an exchange student, she experienced firsthand how positively Americans responded to the yukata (a casual summer kimono) and realized the potential of wearing kimono, a Japanese tradition, in a global society. Wearing her mother’s kimono helped her overcome her insecurities, lose 10 kg, and start living as the protagonist of her own life.
After graduating from the Faculty of Social Sciences at Hosei University and completing a master’s program at the Graduate School of Social Sciences at Hitotsubashi University, she worked in the sales planning department of Estem Co., Ltd., an environmental company, before joining Hoshino Resorts. There, she witnessed the business recovery of Tomamu, the Hokkaido resort she was responsible for, despite the heavy blow of the Great East Japan Earthquake, as well as the company’s rapid growth. The experience showed her that vision, strategy, and action can change reality. Wishing to convey the true appeal of the kimono that had changed her life and to pass kimono culture on to the next generation, she launched her business in 2015 as Japan’s first kimono image consultant, initially alongside her full-time job.
Kimono is often seen as difficult, uncomfortable, and expensive. She shows that it can be easy for anyone, comfortable to wear, and cost-effective, and proposes outfit coordination and occasions for wearing kimono as a “power outfit” that brings out each woman’s unique charm.