Genbei Yamaguchi, the 10th generation owner of Kondaya, a sash craftsman in Sanjo, Kyoto, which has been in business for 286 years, is a maverick who prefers the Danjiri Festival in Kishiwada to the Gion Festival in Kyoto.
Genbei seems like a mischievous samurai, but also a profound scholar, with a keen sense of aesthetics, as he guides the craftsmen in creating beautiful obi.
This time, with the cooperation of the Fujita Museum, he expressed the speckled pattern and brilliance of the National Treasure Yohen Tenmoku tea bowl on the obi.
Ginza Ippodo will be bringing in 150 obi, including Karaori, Raden Kiraori, Nishikiori, and kohaku obi, all made with the finest materials and techniques, befitting a long-established obi craftsman.
Choose your favorite obi and go out and enjoy wearing kimono.
Keiko Aono