KAORU’S PROFILE プロフィール
Kaoru was born and grew up in Gunma prefecture and lives now in Tokyo. She belongs 35-44 years age group and works as an office worker.
Gunma prefecture was one of famous areas for sericulture. Until she was born, her family were involved in sericulture. Until she was in high school, she saw some sericulture farmers in her neighborhood.
Kaoru’s grand mother wore cotton kimono everyday except in summer
and Kaoru’s father changed from his working suit into kimono for relaxing at home when she was small child. Since Kaoru spent much time with her grand mother in her childhood, they often watched the samurai period TV drama together. She trailed her grandmother’s shawl around like a Japanese princess. Also, she did not want to take off the 7,5,3 kimono when she wore it.
In her early 20’s she wore furisode on the coming-of-age ceremony and at her friends’ wedding parties. She had an interest in kimono but it looked difficult to get into, because she read a book of essays about stories of kimono failure, by a woman author, and she could not find a good, well-illustrated guide book like there are today.
In her late 30’s, she had interest in kimono again. She liked to go to listen to rakugo and she saw many people in kimono at the rakugo theater.
She wanted to understand the description of kimono in rakugo stories as well as in the TV samurai period programs which she liked from when she was child.
Around this time, she found a kimono wearing book with a DVD and she gathered the tips of wearing kimono beautifully from some kimono magazines. For about 5 years she dressed herself in kimono alone, but when she became interested enough to want to teach others about kimono, she wanted more confidence in her appearance, and she went to have some lessons in a kimono shop in her neighbourhood.
She has 50 kimono. 70％ of them are tailored to her size. About 40 kimono are casual kimono like tsumugi, cotton, wool or komon, and rest are furisode, homongi, iromuji and mourning kimono.