Vintage Tenugui Wide-Sleeve Kimono from Fujiya Café – Japanese Patchwork Robe with Lucky Motifs
In the streets of Showa-era Japan, small shops carried a unique charm that blended the ordinary with subtle artistry. Among them, Fujiya left a quiet mark through its tenugui, reflecting the owner’s taste and attention to detail. This wide-sleeve kimono is a patchwork of those tenugui, carrying echoes of that distinctive atmosphere.
The motifs on the tenugui—One Fuji, Two Hawks, and Three Eggplants—are more than decorative designs. Rooted in centuries of Japanese tradition, they symbolize fortune, prosperity, and protection. Wearing or displaying such fabric connects us with the subtle rituals and hopes embedded in everyday life.
The generous wide sleeves suggest the garment’s original use as a juban, allowing freedom of movement and creating a flowing silhouette. Each patch of tenugui carries subtle variations in color and texture, offering a visual story of time and human touch.
Today, patchwork from vintage Japanese tenugui is celebrated internationally. Designers and collectors transform these fabrics into modern garments, bags, or interior art, appreciating both the aesthetic and the story embedded in every piece.
This wide-sleeve Fujiya tenugui kimono is more than a garment—it is a bridge between eras, carrying the elegance, creativity, and quiet hopes of the past into the present.
