Nov. 05, 2025Marubeni Corporation
Marubeni is pleased to announce that the upcoming Marubeni Gallery exhibition, Exploring Fashion through Early Photographs: The Evolution of Women’s Kimono in the Late Edo and Meiji Periods (1853–1912), will be held from December 2, 2025 to January 24, 2026.
Exhibition Overview:While formal standards of traditional Japanese attire were established during the Edo period (1603–1868), styles and fashions diversified during the Meiji period (1868–1912) as Japan reopened itself to the world after approximately 250 years of near-total isolation. This exhibition represents the first modern attempt to recreate the styles typically worn in this era using early photographs and historical garments.
During the final years of the Edo period (1853–1868; also known as the Bakumatsu period), Japan’s reopened ports facilitated the dramatic deepening of exchanges with European and American cultures. The incoming wave of Western culture, including Western fashions, swept through Japanese society, ushering in a new era unconstrained by previous formal standards of attire. In this context, Japanese fashion saw the evolution and diversification of designs in women’s kimono, resulting in a flourishing of novel, resplendent attire. Though the modern image of traditional Japanese attire was standardized after World War II as part of efforts to establish a counterculture to the spread of Western influence in the country, the kimono styles and designs of the late Edo and Meiji periods featured diverse forms of fashion, which served as a new means of self-expression for women.
This exhibition brings the fashions of this era back to life by using reference materials, particularly early examples of photography (which first became available in Japan during the late Edo period) and period documents, to recreate outfits with historical kimono and obi (sashes). Enjoy a “fashion show” from a century ago, made possible by the Marubeni Collection’s extensive collection of historical kimono and Marubeni’s research into traditional textiles!
Exhibition Details:
About the Marubeni Gallery:Designed under the concept of “a space where the aesthetics of the East and West in ancient and modern times resonate with each other,” the Marubeni Gallery is a facility where Marubeni’s art collection is on display to the public. Marubeni’s art collection consists of the three main categories: textiles (such as kimono, Noh robes, and fabric fragments), textile designs, and paintings. Since its founding in 1858, Marubeni has pursued the aesthetic beauty of Japan through its textile business. This resulted in the collection and preservation of ancient textile products (such as kimono, obi, and silk gift-wrapping cloth) and designs primarily from the 17th to mid-19th centuries—the first and second pillars of the collection. Gaining contacts in the art world through this pursuit of textile designs, Marubeni also acquired modern Japanese paintings through art dealers or from the artists themselves. Later, in the 1960s and 70s, Marubeni expanded into the international art business, acquiring Western paintings as well. Together, these Japanese and Western paintings form the third pillar of the collection. Since its opening in 2021, the Marubeni Gallery has featured rotating exhibitions on a variety of themes to share this collection and other works of historical and cultural value with the public.
Official Website: https://www.marubeni.com/gallery/en/ Official Instagram: https://instagram.com/marubeni_gallery_official Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marubeni.jp/
Future Exhibit (Tentative Title/Details):・Max Touret—A Hitherto Unknown Master of Post-Impressionism(March 17 to May 23, 2026)
