STORIES 着物物語

This kimono with a pattern all over was worn by my aunt in Kyushu, and the tomesode was worn by another aunt in Shiga. My grandmother had six daughters and two sons. My mother was the youngest girl and her oldest sister was twenty years older than her. The oldest and second oldest sisters married and went to live in Kyushu and Shiga before they were twenty years old. It was over eighty years ago, so it was not easy to return to Tokyo to visit family. My grandmother was really lonely to see her daughters leave at such a young age, and so she made these beautiful kimono for them to take with them. The second daughter’s tomesode has a crest of two facing pigeons on it. It is the crest of my mother’s family.

総柄の着物は九州の伯母、留袖は滋賀県の伯母が着ていた着物です。
祖母には６人の娘と２人の息子がいました。私の母は末っ子でしたので、最年長の伯母とは２０歳の差がありました。
最年長の伯母と２番目の伯母は２０歳前に東京から九州、滋賀県にそれぞれ嫁ぎました。８０年近く前のことですので、今のように簡単に東京と行き来できる時代ではありません。祖母はまだ若い伯母達と離れることが寂しく、華やかな着物を作って持たせてあげました。
２番目の伯母の留袖には家紋が入っています。「向かい鳩」という母の実家の家紋です。