Useful Books #1

The following is a list of useful books in English taken from the Ichiroya FAQ page link. This page also has details on how to wear kimono and kimono information such as the differences between men's, women's and children's kimono and kitsuke.

The Book of Kimono / The Complete Guide to Style and Wear
by Norio Yamanaka
Kodansha

Kimono:Vanishing Tradition
by Cheryl Imperatore & Paul Maclardy
A Schiffer Book for Designers & Collectors

Japanese Costume
by Helen Benton Minnich
Tuttle(Kodansha or Weatherhill imprimatur)

To make a kimono for yourself--

MAKE YOUR OWN JAPANESE CLOTHES
by John Marshall
Kodansha International

To learn about textiles and designs of kimono--

The Ultimate SASHIKO SOURCEBOOK
by Susan Briscoe
David & Charles

Textile Art of Japan
by Sunny Yang, Rochelle M. Narasin
Shufunotomo Co.,LTD

Design with Japanese Obi
by Diane Wiltshire & Ann Whitshire
Charles E. Tuttle Company
*It is full of obi display hint with beautiful photos.

Japanese Costume and Textile Arts
by Seiroku Noma
Heibonsha series on Japanese arts
review by Mr Jaxo Nobori
It has seen a number of printings, so several editions are readily available on the 'used' book market. It deals mostly with Noh costume tradition and Momoyama/Genroku kosode.

Kimono
by Liza Dalby
review by Mr Jaxon Nobori
This is the most recent (and arguably the best). She is a cultural anthropologist by training, who studied the geisha of Kyoto in-depth and actually hired-out as one for a period of time. Besides writing a book on her experiences called "Geisha", she has also written a fictionalized autobiography of "Murasaki Shikibu", the authoress of Genji Monogatari / The Tale of Genji

SYMBOLS OF JAPAN
by Merrily Baird

SNOW, WAVE, PINE
by Sadao Hibi and Motoji Niwa

WHEN ART BECAME FASHION, Kosode in Edo Period Japan
by Dale Carolyn Gluckman and Sharon Sadako Takeda