The Korin Kimono features a design by Ogata Korin.
Now, after 300 years, the garment is in need of restoration.
With your support, we will ensure this valuable cultural property is passed down to future generations.
Thank you for participating in the Korin Kimono Restoration Project.
Thanks to your generous donations, the Korin Kimono Restoration Project has reached its 15 million yen target. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported our project and to all our corporate sponsors.
Thanks to you, the restoration work has now begun. We will endeavor to keep updated about the process from here on too.
The Korin Kimono Restoration Project
This project will be undertaken by Tokyo National Museum and the National Center for the Promotion of Cultural Properties(CPCP) with support from your donations.
We would like to thank you deeply for all your generous support. We have been touched by the kindness, warmth, and respect shown to the Tokyo National Museum, the Edo-period artist Ogata Korin, and Japanese traditional culture.
The Korin Kimono was transported to the restoration studio in January this year. In the the following months, it was disassembled and long discussions about how the restoration should be carried out were held. Over the next two years, the damaged ground of the kimono will be reinforced and a lining applied.The restoration will be completed by the end of 2022, with the restored kimono then exhibited in 2023.
The Tokyo National Museum, the National Center for the Promotion of Cultural Properties, and the artisans at the restoration studio are working hard to ensure the beautiful Korin Kimono can be shown to the public again. We look forward to receiving your generous support from here on too. Thank you. (July 5, 2021)
According to records bequeathed to our museum, the Korin Kimono was purchased by the Tokyo Imperial Household Museum (Tokyo National Museum’s predecessor) during the Meiji period (1868–1912). It came with a document attesting to its provenance. This document states that the garment originally came with no lining, just the outer fabric. A lining was then attached and the garment mounted as a kimono for display.
When I first exhibited the Korin Kimono, I was shocked by how damaged it was compared to photographs I had seen. The autumn flower pattern had such a graceful beauty when viewed from a distance, but a closer view revealed how the white lining had been sewed in using a ragged plain stitch in a manner almost reminiscent of the quilting on a traditional Japanese farming jacket. This plain stitch dates back to when the garment was mounted as a kimono after entering the museum’s collection, but the extensive application of large white threads ended up obscuring Ogata Korin’s brushwork. The fragile silk ground had also suffered wear and tear over the garment’s 300-year history. It can still be exhibited today, but the plain stitch on the outer fabric is too strong and it is clear the silk ground will only grow weaker if no action is taken.
This is the only fully-intact garment featuring a pattern drawn by Ogata Korin. We now need to begin the necessary repair work to ensure the Korin Kimono can be passed down through the next 100 to 200 years.
Oyama Yuzuruha (Chief Curator of Decorative Arts, Tokyo National Museum)
The Korin Kimono features a design of autumm grasses and flowers by the renowned Japanese artist Ogata Korin.
The Korin Kimono Restoration Project is undertaken by Tokyo National Museum and the National Center for the Promotion of Cultural Properties(hereinafter referred to as TNM and CPCP) with support from all your donations. TNM and CPCP aim to provide everyone with opportunities to encounter cultural properties. We also strive to build a society where many people can participate in activities aimed at passing these treasures of humanity down to future generations. This project forms part of this mission to mobilize the strength of individuals, companies and organizations to ensure our precious cultural heritage will be transmitted to the future.
Total raised 16.4 million yen
Fund-raising target 15 million yen
*Donations will be used to fund restoration expenses and the running costs of the project.
*If donations exceed our target, the additional funds will be used to cover the cost of restoring other cultural properties in Tokyo National Museum's collection.
Fund-raising period January 2020 – June 2022 The end of 2021
*The restoration will be completed by the end of 2022 the end of March 2023.
Frequently Asked Questions/Inquiries
Details of various events are listed on our ‘Event Information’ page. We look forward to your participation.
We plan to solicit donations from January 2020 to June 2022.
We will continue to receive donations until the end of 2021. Any change of details will be listed on our website.
They will be used to cover the project’s restoration costs and operational expenses.
*Thanks to your generosity, we have managed to beat our target of 15 million yen.
Any additional funds will contribute to the cost of restoring other cultural properties in the Tokyo National Museum's collection.
We plan to exhibit the kimono from 2023 onwards. The finalized details will be posted our website.
Please donate on the Donation Portal Site.
Donation box is also installed next to Room 11 of the Japanese Gallery (Honkan) at the Tokyo National Museum.
Special Corporate Sponsorship
Corporate Sponsorship