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It all started when I happened to pick up in a shop a traditional Japanese textile called Chirimen. Suddenly the smiling face of one of our NPO KOMA members came into my mind. I said to myself that if I was going to make one dress out of this Chirimen it would suit her wonderfully. I bought it without hesitation. Later that day, with the image I had at the shop still vivid in my mind, and rejoicing at having new material for my future art work, quite naturally I hinted at making dresses to some members of NPO KOMA at a café Akira salon meeting. The idea was received very enthusiastically and everybody shared their joy and excitement. Selected members with professional tailoring skill gathered immediately, and I started designing dresses in accordance with my view of each member’s internal vision. But I found it better to take scissors by myself and rather audaciously to cut out Chirimen to the forms I liked. I enjoyed very much seeing how dynamically my whole life responded to each member, and I finished making outlines of the dresses quickly and precisely as I wished. Each dress is of course unique in the world, and after sewing them professionally to completion, we decided to do a show at Mejiro garden, just among ourselves displaying all the dresses. By a happy coincidence, one of our Iranian photographers was visiting Japan at that time, and my dresses were photographed beautifully by him, letting everybody see them. My concert in Beijing, later the same year became their first public appearance. Our members participated wearing these special dresses, and they attracted the eyes of many Chinese who marveled at their unknown beauty and wondered about who they were, their ages and nationality. For this particular concert, I have also designed and created by myself both mine and Mr. Idaki Shin’s stage costumes.
All of them express internal beauty and the wonder of life. Nothing is more attractive and gorgeous than the unity of one’s internality with one’s dress. Every time I encounter someone showing up with the dress, my heart is totally captured by this shining flower of the world.
The costumes are currently displayed at Keiko Koma Gallery.