Hyakusenkai Graph (百選会 呉服催事カタログ資料 「百選会グラフ」大阪店発行)
Catalogue with Kimono patterns of the department store Takashimaya, Osaka, Japan, early 20th century.
Courtesy of Takashimaya Historical Museum/ Takashimaya Archives, Osaka
One of the first department stores in Japan was “Takashimaya” with branches in Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo. The management maintained close contacts with fashion scouts in the western metropolises. The female clientele was to be supplied with the latest trends. This kimono pattern probably goes back to the European “Egyptomania”.