Kimono
1937 (made)
| Place of origin |
In the 1930s kimono for young boys, such as this example, were often patterned with highly graphic propaganda images. Unusually, this kimono commemorates an actual event, the first aeroplane flight from Japan to Europe. The plane, called the 'kamikaze-go' flew from Tokyo to London, landing at Croydon airport on April 9th 1937 making its pilot, Masaaki Iinuma, a hero. The kimono is decorated with images of the plane and, in circles, Mount Fuji, Tower Bridge and the route of the flight, together with the British and French flags. The design also features block letters, in white on grey, which read '1937 Aorenraku 15000'. Aorenraku roughly translates to 'connections across the blue' and 15000 is the distance of the journey in kilometres.
Delve deeper
Discover more about this object
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Printed wool |
| Brief description | Kimono for a young boy, with design commemorating the first flight from Tokyo to London, Japanese 1937 |
| Physical description | Kimono for a child, fine wool padded with cotton and printed with images commemorating the flight of the kamikaze-go, the first plane to fly from Tokyo to Europe, in 1937. The kimono is banded in cream, streaked with yellow, and blue with stars, perhaps to suggest the flight by day and by night. It is decorated with images of the plane and, in circles, Mount Fuji, Tower Bridge and the route of the flight, together with the British and French flags. The design also features block letters, in white on grey, which read '1937 Aorenraku 15000'. Aorenraku roughtly translates to 'connections across the blue' and 15000 is the distance of the journey in kilometres. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | 1937 Aorenraju 15000
|
| Gallery label |
|
| Subjects depicted | |
| Places depicted | |
| Summary | In the 1930s kimono for young boys, such as this example, were often patterned with highly graphic propaganda images. Unusually, this kimono commemorates an actual event, the first aeroplane flight from Japan to Europe. The plane, called the 'kamikaze-go' flew from Tokyo to London, landing at Croydon airport on April 9th 1937 making its pilot, Masaaki Iinuma, a hero. The kimono is decorated with images of the plane and, in circles, Mount Fuji, Tower Bridge and the route of the flight, together with the British and French flags. The design also features block letters, in white on grey, which read '1937 Aorenraku 15000'. Aorenraku roughly translates to 'connections across the blue' and 15000 is the distance of the journey in kilometres. |
| Bibliographic references |
|
| Collection | |
| Accession number | FE.2-2005 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | February 2, 2005 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSON
