by Rebecca Copeland | Jul 5, 2021 | Japanese Culture
Earlier this summer John Moore, a member of the Communications Office at Washington University, interviewed me about The Kimono Tattoo. The editor wanted a photograph of me with “my kimono collection.” I recognize that I have A LOT of kimonos, but I had never thought...
by Rebecca Copeland | Jul 15, 2020 | Japanese Culture
Most Japanese today do not wear kimono, and when they do, it is only for special occasions like weddings or graduations. And then, the wearer is almost always a woman. Because women wear kimono so infrequently, they have lost confidence in their ability to wear the...
by Rebecca Copeland | Jul 1, 2020 | Japanese Culture
What interests me about the kimono (and the many accoutrements that attend the wearing of the garment), is the way it is always much more than just a covering for the body. As with all garments, it carries meaning beyond its mere functionality. Let’s look a little...
by Rebecca Copeland | Jun 24, 2020 | Japanese Culture
Kimonos exist in both tangible and intangible forms. Having worked on modern Japanese women’s writing for several decades now, I am constantly aware of the attention to the detail of dress—more often than not to kimono. And the references are there not just to provide...
by Rebecca Copeland | Jun 17, 2020 | Japanese Culture
A kimono is more than just a garment. It’s a container of memory. For many it’s a living entity. By that, I don’t mean kimonos get up and walk on their own. No, they are animated by the body that wears them. But in some sense, the kimono also absorbs the energy that...
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