Kurotomesode

A black tomesode of figured silk with a flower design, worn by Princess Asaka Chikako around 1938, from the Ome Kimono Museum and displayed in 2023 in the former Asaka residence in Tokyo. The kurotomesode is the most formal kimono a married woman owns, the one close relatives of the couple wear to a wedding. Its rule is easy to read: plain black above, with the whole design kept low on the skirt, and five family crests that put it at the top of the formality scale.