Ome Kimono Museum
The Ome Kimono Museum is housed in a 200-year-old kura storehouse. The collection of more than 500 rare traditional garments includes ceremonial kimono worn by members of the imperial family. Much of the collection is rotated to match the changing seasons.
The permanent exhibition displays the kimono and accessories worn by Prince Nashimoto (1874–1951) and Princess Itsuko (1879–1977) for the enthronement ceremony of the Taisho Emperor in 1915. The garments incorporate designs and colors that were reserved for the use of the imperial family. Historical photographs and illustrations from the time help put the garments in context and give visitors a greater understanding of these formal occasions.
Some members of the imperial family had their own motifs. Visitors can see a small cloth owned by Empress Emerita Michiko (1934–) decorated with stylized Japanese white birch, her personal motif.
Other exhibits show how kimono styles differed according to social status, with displays of garments that were worn by samurai, the aristocracy, and members of the merchant classes. The collection is comprehensive and includes lavishly embroidered formal kimonos worn by women of the nobility, as well as a simple blue-and-white kimono worn by a retainer of shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616).
The Ome Kimono Museum is open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., or by appointment. (The museum is closed from December through February.)
