I wove a kimono textile called “Sanshiki” for my three-year-old daughter’s Shichigosan*.
With three colours dyed with three kinds of plant, Akane (madder), Shikon (lithospermum root) and Kusagi (harlequin glorybower) , I wove a check-pattern textile using number of threads with multiple of three. It was a textile I stuck to three numbers.
I asked Nishio-san for tailoring. I have known him from “Kinu no kai” and he runs “Uan Nishio” in Maebashi Gunma Prefecture where he is also committed to leave high quality domestic silk.
The photo was taken by Naoaki Yamamoto from Yamaneko photo studio.
I thought it was so much harder to take photos of three-year-old’s Shichigosan than I imagined…but it was stunning to see his photo-taking technique capturing the moment as if my daughter is assuming a pose while she was actually moving around and grizzling.
This time, my obi**was tailored with the same textile as my daughter and I enjoyed matching coordination.
Kimono and Hifu*** may not be able to be worn by daughter once she grows up, but obi can be worn not only by mother but also the grown up daughter as a commemoration for Shichigosan.
This is one proposal from me.
I was writing nonchalantly until here, but to be honest it was actually like “phew, I barely managed to make it in time”.
It pricked my conscience when securing the time for weaving private work in the schedule, but I wanted to make her gala dress for the major point in her life which was something I could do for her.
I was not sure if my daughter sensed how I felt but she said to me “○○（my daughter’s name） will make you a kimono when I grow big!”
Wow, I was close to happy tears.
“It’s gonna be pink and has hearts and ribbons on it”
Oh, pink? Hearts and ribbons??
Just imagine myself in future who is becoming senescent wearing pink kimono with hearts and ribbons on it.
Let’s not imagine that.