No83

Dear Customers & Friends
Hello from Japan! This is Kimono Flea Market ICHIROYA's News LetterNo.83.Yesterday I went to Kyoto to attend an auction, and I saw pink ume blossom buds in the garden of a shrine. Chill seems to pass a peak, and we feel spring is at the corner. I was a river fishing crazy several years ago, and I used to long the March 1, when the prohibition of trout fishing was lifted. I used to go fishing as soon as possible with taking off from work. In early March the mountains are still covered with snow, and trouts are still blackish and thin for the over yearing. But Japan is small, and there are too many fishing crazy here. So we have to go fishing early if we want good catch. Most of trouts are fished early in spring, and survivors become extremely careful for the anglers, and difficult to be fished.
In this morning we ( Ichiro & Yuka) went to see an old house. We are looking for a house to be rented. Our ideal house is as below.- A few extra Japanese rooms for our customers. We must be very happy if we can rent extra rooms during their travel to Japan.- It is not so far from our office, and cars can be parked more than 2. Our daughters must go to schools around an hour. - Not new one. Old Japanese style house is better. I imagine it must be fun if the house has irori fireplace!-It is in the forest or rice paddy, and I can listeni to jazz with full sound volume.Today we were introduced to an old house very near our office. We were very astonished to hear that such old house existed near our office, and went with a staff of real-estate company. It was very good old house may be from mid Showa period. Incredibly thick wooden beams, Japanese style garden, huge entrance, wooden corridor and staircase, very high ceiling, large Japanese tatami room, which seemed we could offer two rooms for our customers. It is made of traditional Japanese house style, and antique goods and kimono fit well. I am very interested in that house, but Yuka said what I also felt.She said if this house was in the rural district, and we were allowed to make full makeover, we might be able to live in this house. But as it was, we couldn't live. Just front of the gate, busy road runs, and one side also faces railroad. Outside is noisy, and we must not be able to relax with windows open. Our search for a dream house went back to the start.
Today I would like to introduce you sarasa book made by Horiuchi san again. http://www.ichiroya.com/item/list2.php?number=70259 Sarasa is the cotton fabrics, which has exotic dyed pattern. There are two kind of textiles which seem not to be familiar to our customers abroad. One is antique chirimen silk, and another is sarasa. As our customers already know, chirimen is crepe silk, and they have very soft touch. Most valuable chirimen is called 'Edo chiri', which is especially thin and has soft touch. Some of them has very fine elegant dyed(or embroidery) pattern, and is very good material for kimono dolls. If you attended kimono dealer's auction, you must had been astonished to see how the auction heated when supreme chirimen were offered. Sometimes winning price of rare chirimen kimono rises more than 2000 USD. Dealers sell them to kimono doll makers or craftsmen who make chirimen accessories. Antique good edo chirimen is completely different from recent crepe silk, and the price can be understood.Sarasa means 'chintz', cotton fabrics with exotic dyed patterns. As same as in Europe, in olden times cotton textile was not ordinary, and especially red dyestuff on the cotton, and had full washing fastness. India invented chintz-dyeing technique more than 2000 years ago, and in medieval days Indian sarasa-chintz was imported to Europe and Japan. It was around 16 - 17 centuries, and people loved them. It was the ages of samurai ( Edo period or earlier), daimyo and rich merchants competed to collect them. They were so valuable, imported sarasa textile ( called 'watarai') were used for small bags for tea ceremony goods('shifuku') and tobacco case. At tea ceremony, besides the mind of hosting every tools are selected to entertain guests. People must had astonished and entertained vivid colors and exotic pattern of sarasa, which had atmosphere of unknown countries. After mid of Edo period, sarasa became to be made also in Japan. Nagasaki, Sakai and also in Kyoto, sarasa was mad!e. At that time patterns were stenciled, and often used for futon cover or furoshiki of wealthy people. At the kimono auction, sometimes antique sarasa fabrics are offered. Especially imported sarasa are traded at very expensive prices. At small auction in Kyoto which I attend a few days ago, several men's cotton sarasa kimono were offered, ( they are made in Taisho period(1912-1925) or early Showa period) and they were priced from ten thousand yen to fifty thousand yen. If you would like to know more about sarasa, Horiuchi san's sarasa book is exceptionally good materials. Horiuchi san is a famous kasuri collector, and she also has exceptionally good taste for antique fabrics. We can enjoy the various charms of sarasa with this book. During her career, she have been collecting sarasa too. Now we have only one book, but if there are multiple request, she says she can make more with her collections. If possible, we would like to let you know the charm of vintage sarasa with Horiuchi san's help.
Thank you for reading to the end. Today we will list threads ball, fukusa, sakiori obi, maru obi, other obi and bolt. We are very happy if you could check them.http://www.ichiroya.com/item/search.php?md=0221
Thank your for reading to the end. We wish you a nice Sunday!
Ichiro & Yuka WadaKimono Flea Market "ICHIROYA"http://www.ichiroya.com
e-mail: info@ichiroya.comaddress: Asia-shoji Bldg.301 1841-1 Nishi 1 chome Wakamatsu cho Tondabayashi city Osaka 584-0025 JAPANTEL&FAX ****( international number ) - 81-721-23-5446