THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
July 17, 2020 at 07:00 JST
All masks from Erisho are made by kimono tailors. (Yoshihisa Uehara)
Editor’s note: This series showcases what we are calling “kawaii” (cute) items made locally in the iconic Japanese city.
* * *
A long-established kimono accessory shop is using traditional materials to create face masks that feel somewhat comfortable in hot and humid summer days.
Erisho, founded in 1775, produced masks for the first time this year as they have become an essential item in public places due to the spread of the new coronavirus. But it says the products are not designed to shut out the virus.
To deal with the summer heat, the company recommends masks made with “hon-asa yoryu,” a type of hemp mainly used for “juban” kimono underwear.
Weaved with a technique called “kinchi” in Kyoto, the masks are light and silky in texture. They also seem to go well with “yukata” casual kimono.
Erisho also offers patterned masks made of cotton.
A limited number of masks are available at the store. Sales have been suspended on the online shop at (https://www.erisho.com/) due to a large number of orders.
Address: Teramachi-dori Shijo-agaru, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto.
Open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Ready-to-wear: 5-minute kimono offers elegant look, casual use
February 17, 2020
Kimono designer thrives by mixing modernity with rigid traditions
March 16, 2020
Father, daughter dream of using ‘magic’ repair for world’s clothing
March 26, 2020
Foreign residents in Tokyo dress in kimono to mark adulthood
January 14, 2020
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
