TOMOKO’S PROFILE プロフィール
Tomoko belongs to the 55-64 year old age group, was born in Tokyo and lives Kanagawa now. After retiring from the international company where she worked as a director of the personnel section, she works now as a freelance human affairs consultant and interpretation guide.
When she was a child, she liked to be dressed in kimono by her mother on New Year’s Days. After she grew up, she was dressed in kimono by her mother when she attended her friends wedding parties. But it was not very often that her mother took the time to dress Tomoko in kimono. So Tomoko thought that kimono wearing is difficult and too hard to do by herself. 5 year ago, her mother got sick and Tomoko started to care for her. She started to go to kimono wearing school to keep herself busy during a tough period in her life. At first, she wanted to learn to put on kimono by herself at least, but she enjoyed learning about kimono step by step. Finally she learnt how to dress other people in kimono. Tomoko makes people happy by dressing them in kimono. She wears kimono at least one a week because she takes the tea ceremony lessons. She is going to kimono school and likes to watch Kabuki wearing kimono. Also she wears kimono when she is invited to events. Kimono is easier than the regular clothes for Tomoko, because she can put on kimono quickly and its easy to pick out the right kimono because of all the social rules attached to it, (kimono TPO, Time, Place, Occasion).

11 of her 51 kimono are dyed by her own mother. Her mother liked drawing and painting. She has 10 homongi, 30 casual kimono like komon and tsumugi, others are furisode, tomesode, polyester, wool and cotton.

Including the kimono which Tomoko is wearing, all the kimono in this photograph are designed and dyed by her mother. All the kimono have their own special memories.

智子さん、５５－６４歳の年齢のグループ。東京で生まれ現在は神奈川県にお住まいです。人事の役員をしていた外資系企業を退職後、現在はフリーで人事のコンサルタントと通訳ガイドの仕事をしています。
子供の頃はお正月になるとお母さまに着物を着せてもらうのを楽しみにしていました。大人になってからも結婚式に参列するときなどはお母さまが着せてくれましたが、機会がそうは多くないためか、お母さまが着せてくれると時間がかかったことから、着物を着るのは大変なことで、自分で着ることは難しいと思っていました。５年前、お母さまがご病気になり智子さんによる介護が始まったとき、智子さん自身の時間を確保するために着付け教室に通い始めました。初めは自分で着物が着られるようになればいいと思っていただけでしたが、だんだんとおもしろくなり今では他装も習得しています。人に着物を着せてあげるととても喜ばれます。
お茶を習っていることと、着物の学校に通い続けていること、また歌舞伎を観に行くのが好きなことから週に一度は着物を着る生活をしています。また何か催し物があるときは着物を着て行きます。着物を着るのが面倒ではなくなったので、ＴＰＯを守っていれば、洋服で何を着るかあれこれ考えるよりも楽なのです。
お手持ちの着物は５１枚。そのうち１１枚は絵を描くことが得意だったお母さまがデザインして染めた着物です。お母さまが染めた着物は訪問着が多く、智子さんが購入したものも合わせて１０枚ほどお持ちです。着付けを習い、お茶を始めてから小紋や紬が増え、３０枚近くあります。その他振袖、留袖からウール、ポリエステル、麻などお持ちです。
智子さんが着ている着物を含め、写真の中の着物はすべてお母さまがデザインし染めた着物で、１枚１枚に思い出があります。