Today I was beelining toward a garden, through a neighborhood I never visit, when I was stopped cold by the kimono lovers’ equivalent of Aladdin’s Cave.
Your nose would have been glued the glass too, if you’d spotted this many brilliant & pristine Meissen silk kimonos in one place
Before I knew it, I was inside, powerless to resist. Which is a good thing, because otherwise I never would have discovered that this emporium of jazz-age kimonos, obis, and accessories is owned by the woman who literally wrote the book on Japanese vintage kimono designs!
I never dreamed I’d actually meet Kumiko Nagata, the woman responsible for the swoonworthy eye candy that modern princess-style kimono fans like moi can sigh over for days
Beautiful, bright silk kimonos and obis woven in bold motifs were stacked three-deep, all around. Everything was calling to me so loudly, I couldn’t decide where to look first
You should be glad that photos can’t begin to capture how want-worthy these were, or you’d have been elbowing me aside to make it to the cash register first
The owner rotates the stock in and out with the seasons, which means…
…MASSIVE FOMO! I mean, if this is merely the tip of the iceberg, what treasures will surface the minute I leave the country?
I found out just how much I’d miss, when the owner handed me the flyers of goods from seasons gone by!
Goldfish, dragonflies & musical motifs!
Ant party and lemurs <sob!>
At least I didn’t miss the golden cat obi
Or the accessories to die for, tucked in between the kimonos
There were a few cases of truly choice antique obijime and obidome
And even the office was hung with a stunner of a furisode
The owner happened to be there when my gawk-a-thon began, so I had the pleasure of chatting with one of the world’s most passionate kimono dealers. I think I’d better make the Lunco kimono shop a regular stop in every season!
2 thoughts on “Feast Your Eyes On This: A Shop Full Of Taisho, Meiji & Showa Era Kimonos”
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Only In Japan 
Hey, when I click that button to sign up, it takes me to a login page for Mailchimp. Is that a mistake? I’d like to subscribe but I don’t really want to have to have an account at yet another website to do it.
Oh my goodness, you’re right! Thank you SO MUCH for telling me about this – I put in the wrong link! It’s fixed now, so you should b able to sign up for Japanagram, not Mailchimp ARG! You have totally saved my bacon, and I am super grateful. I hope you enjoy the newsletter!