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Kimono is Culture.

Kimono is Culture.
When I started working at this Japanese Traditional store, our parents had been wearing kimono as daily casual clothes. At that time, most of our mothers made our own kimonos by hand from scratch.
They seemed to put a lot of thought into making the kimono from the step of cutting cloth until it is completely made and dressed.
I started working here without knowing anything ,but I was taught a lot by the customers. 40 years has passed since then and the number of people who know that much about kimono has gradually declined recently. At present, these are fewer and fewer people having knowleage of celebration clothing of children or even the koshiage of Yukata. Just by adjusting he length of shoulder part (kata-age) or the waist part (koshi-age) of the kimono, a child can wear his/her kimono for at least 3-4 years.
Moreover, if you told the kimono carefully, it will not get wrinkles easily or be bulky anymore. Therefore, it becomes more convenient to be carried when you travel throughout or outside the country.
Another distinctive of kimono is the fast that regardless of your baby size, whether you are chubby or skinny, tall or short, you can certainly fit in a kimono of your own size. Even a pregnant woman can wear kimono.
It is known that your body size’s changing means you can no longer wear your old western clothes. However, when it comes to kimono, the situation is different. Recently, there are more and more foreign customers coming to our store. I have a feeling that when they come to japan they want to see more of the kimono figure, don’t they.
When it comes to Japan, people remind of kimono. This is to say that kimono is not only history but also culture of Japan.
I really hope the knowledge of kimono will remain for long and Japanese will become aware of those merits of kimono,
Till now, the figure of a bride I remember most is that of a wearing Furisode passed down from her to grandmother. A kimono passed down from grandmother to mother, from mother to daughter and then from daughter to her child, certainly has its own spiritual value, isn’t it?

TAKAKO TAMAKI

Tamaki Store History

03/1918 The first generation – Mr. Kenshichiro Tamaki Graduates from Meiji Primary School
04/1918 He starts working at Mitsukoshi Kimono Store (Now Mitsukoshi Main Store)
09/1923 Great Kanto Earthquake
1923 After the Earthquake, he works at Nagasawa Kimono Store located in Nagaoka-shi, Niigata Prefecture
1924 “Tamaki Store” is founded
07/1932 “Kiyosumi Garden” is opened
12/1941 The Pacific War Outbreaks
1945 Tokyo Air Raid causes the store to burn out
08/1945 The Pacific War Ends
1947 New Store is reopened. Now it is Fukagawa Kiyosumi Shirakawa Main Store
1948 After the war, the first “Tomioka Hachiman Shrine Festival” is held
1948 The group of Shopping street store owners starts functioning
1950 Tamaki Joint-Stock Corporation is established, Store’s name is changed into “Tamaki Kimono Store”
1959 Store is extended for the first time
1960 Festival Goods start to be put in store
1961 “The Association of Shopping street along the Koto District Ward Office” is founded
1964 Store is extended for the second time
1973 Koto District Ward Office is moved to Toyo-cho
1974 Shopping street’s name is changed into The operative of shopping Street Along the Koto District Ward Office
1974 Sawmill, Timber starts to be moved from Kiba to Shinkiba
1975 Jewelry, Fur Goods start to be put in store/td>
1981 Sawmill, Timber’s moving is finished
10/1981 Sunamachi Ginza Store is opened
10/1986 “Fukagawa Edo Museum” located on the premises of Koto District Word Office is opened
1987 Shopping Street’s name is changed into “shopping Street Along the Fukagawa Edo Museum”
10/1987 Kiba park is opened
03/1995 The Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo is opened
1997 “Tomioka Hachiman Shrine Festival” Two Mikoshi are carried
09/1998 Scarecrow Contest starts to be held along the shopping street
12/2000 Toei Oedo Subway Line started running through “Kiyosumi Shirakawa Station”
04/2001 Art Event “Anyone can be artist” starts to be held
03/2003 Hanzomon Subway Line starts running
04/2007 “Sunamachi Ginza Store” is extended
03/2011 “Tomioka Hachiman Shrine Festival” is extended become of the effect of East Japan Great Earthquake
09/2011 “Fukagawa Main Store” is extended ( the third time )
08/2012 “Tomioka Hachiman Shrine Festival” is held with the attendance of the Emperor and Her Majesty
08/2014 “Tomioka Hachiman Shrine Festival” is held
11/2014 Student Goods used in “Fukagawa Dairoku secondary school” are put in store
01/2015 Store name “Fukagawa Main Store” is changed into “Fukagawa Kiyosumi Shirakawa Main Store”
08/2015 Two Mikoshi is carried in the “Tomioka Hashiman Shrine Festival”