Buying Kimonos in Kyoto, October 1981

One of our main objectives in Kyoto was to go back to a place D had been to on previous trips to buy used kimonos.  He and his ex had bought them there, had shipped them back to BC, and then sold them at music festivals and fairs throughout the province, but mostly in and around the Kootenays.  D had no trouble finding the place, up a narrow staircase and into a large room filled with colourful kimonos.  At that time the Japanese were not interested in old or used things, and would sell them, or just discard them, once they were no longer using them.   

Although there were some cotton kimonos at the ‘shop’ (really just like a big living room, we were really only interested in silk kimonos.  And we mostly in search of older kimonos, the ones that had not been mass produced.  The lovely hand painted kimonos with dragons and cranes.  The kimonos with intricate ikat designs.  Kimonos embroidered with silver and gold thread.  All beautiful.  Some of the most exquisite kimonos were the large, heavy wedding kimonos, with extensive embroidered patterns – mostly cranes and peacocks – and with heavily padded hems.  

We bought 50 or more kimonos, and asked the seller to wrap them up and ship them to us.  We sold almost all of them within a few months of our return home.  These are just a few of them…






Fabulous wedding kimono


detail from wedding kimono - peacock

Location: Kyoto, Japan

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