若林キミ子（富山）

About this photo

A portrait in which the pattern at the neckline draws the eye. From inside a kimono that looks plain, a wide band of han'eri (a cloth put over the collar of the juban, the under-kimono) with a fine flower-like pattern shows. She wears a flower ornament in her hair. The name under the photo reads "Wakabayashi Kimiko (Toyama)." It is included in Nihon Bijincho (Album of Japanese Beauties, 1908), a book of photos of women gathered from across the country by the Jiji Shimpo newspaper company.

In the Meiji era, the colors and patterns of women's kimono were subdued, so the pattern of the han'eri became an important place to show off one's style, and luxurious ones were made with tie-dyeing and gold and silver embroidery. In 1896 a fabric made for han'eri was first woven, and around 1897 shops specializing in han'eri opened in Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo.

Genroku patterns, which were in fashion in Tokyo in 1905 and 1906, were also hugely popular on han'eri. In the Taisho era, han'eri reached their peak as the key to style, so much so that it was said that fashions began with the han'eri.

Glossary