TOKYO 2020’s KIMONOS
During the summer of 2021, the world’s attention was on Tokyo 2020. The matches were breathtaking. Every nation fully supported its teams and players. Some nations woke up at 3:00 AM to watch their players’ matches. Serious sacrifices…
Japan created a kimono for every nation in Tokyo 2020. Since it would not be possible to look closely at every kimono, let’s take a look at the nations’ that completed the Olympics in the first and second places. (See “Table 1” below.) Before the designs of the kimonos, I want to share some background information about kimonos.
“Kimono[s] are simple, straight-seamed garments. They are worn wrapped left side over the right and secured with a sash called an obi. The length of the garment can be altered by drawing up excess fabric under the obi. Other adjustments can be made to suit the wearer, such as pulling back the collar so that the nape of a woman’s neck can be more sensuously revealed. The wrap style allows for ease of movement — a useful feature for a culture where many activities are performed while seated on the floor. The kimono is also well-suited to Japan’s climate, with unlined kimono worn in the humid summers and multi-lined kimono worn in the winter” (Ran).
The country that ended up in first place in the United States with 113 medals. Let’s have a close look at their kimono (See “United States” below). This design is №099. The sponsor of it is American Express Japan Co., Ltd. At the first look, we have the vivid blue American Eagle. On the American flag, blue signifies 3 things: vigilance, perseverance, and justice. And the eagle symbolizes the strength and freedom of the States of America. At the left corner, we see the American flag which is made of state flowers, a nice nuance. Next to the flag, we see the filmstrip and 42. Then, of course, there are those beautiful flowers. On the website, the creator of the kimono, Masaru Naruse, explained the kimono as follows: “The image of a country consisting of 50 states called “The United States” is expressed by “state flowers”. It was designed with the national symbol “President” as “American Eagle”. Baseball, American football, Hollywood movies, and the goddess of freedom, which Americans love, are studded in the state flowers, and the great presidents Lincoln and Kennedy are represented by statues and Apollo programs” (“United States of America.”).
Obi of this kimono has soft colors and on top of the background, there are olive branches that symbolize world peace (See “Obi of the United States”). This obi has been designed by Nakai-Orimono and supervised by Hakusen. They explained their design more in-depth. They indicated that “the ground color is conscious of the stripes of the Stars and Stripes, and the color scheme is based on the striped pattern in consideration of contrast, and for the olives drew on the legs of the bald eagle of the president’s coat of arms woven in green, different colors for each leaf are used. We have devised it. The author’s desire for the United States of America to lead world peace is also included in this work” (“United States of America.”).
The second place in the Olympics is China’s. Overall, they collected 88 medals. Their design is №023 and sponsored by Matsufuji Group. In this kimono, there are dominant colors which are black, red, gold, dark yellow, and sax blue (See “China”). Red and gold are Chinese traditional colors. “In Chinese culture, red symbolizes fire, good fortune, and joy. It is the color of happiness, used strictly for celebrations. Unsurprisingly, gold symbolizes wealth and prosperity” (Bresnahan). Not just with the colors but, also, with the symbols… In my opinion, the designer, Murayama-Shishu, made an awesome creation. We see the panda, bamboo, the Great Wall of China, mountains, traditional flowers, and cloud patterns. Murayama-Shishu adds that he wanted to represent the Great Wall of China as a dragon. Do not they make the best description of China?
Obi of China has a lot to represent (See “Obi of the China”). When I looked at the design I had the pottery hints but I was not quite sure. When I read the explanation of the designer, Tatsumura Textile Co., Ltd., it made more sense to me. That is why I want to give their very words. They explained their design as “we used the design of Chinese pottery and hand-woven it in the colors of Sancai[1]” (“People’s Republic of China.”).
If these two designs excite you, you can visit the website and check the ones of other nations.
[1] Sancai (Chinese: 三彩; pinyin: sāncǎi; lit. ‘three colors’) is a versatile type of decoration on Chinese pottery using glazes or slip, predominantly in the three colors of brown (or amber), green, and a creamy off-white. It is particularly associated with the Tang Dynasty (618–907) and its tomb figures, appearing around 700. Therefore, it is commonly referred to as Chinese: 唐三彩 Tang Sancai in Chinese. (Wiki Zero)
