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October 11, 2007
Wabasha Visit
On
October 11, nineteen lucky
members
of the Western Wisconsin Indianhead chapter of ASG went to Wabasha,
MN. Our chapter Education & Program chairs, Sharon Bergstad and
Barb Hogue, had arranged a special day for us. We began our day with
a special lunch at the Anderson House, where we had our choice from
the incredible dessert menu. Wabasha is the oldest town in Minnesota,
and the Anderson House is the state's oldest B&B. While we
didn't
stay the night, thereby missing the opportunity to have a bed-warming
cat sent to our room (really!), we did enjoy touring the
establishment, seeing the kitties in their special room, and
appreciating the individually decorated rooms. Most featured quilts
and antique furniture. And yes, guests may request that one of the
five resident cats spend the night with them.
We had a bit of time on
this sunny fall
day to explore this old town on the Mississippi River. One of our
members discovered that the library's children's room features Book
Week posters dating back to the mid-1960's. We also checked out
several of the town's numerous antique stores. All I will say is that
purchases were made!
The highlight of the day
though was a
special showing of antique kimono at Wind Whisper West, a
one-of-a-kind shop specializing in vintage wedding kimono. We broke
one shop rule immediately upon entering! Being “fabric people” we
were drawn to feel the exquisite silk garments but the proprietor's
quick “Ahem!” and pointing to the “No Touching Please” sign
convinced us to mend our ways. The owner, Richard Fuller, is an
ex-Marine who was stationed in Japan in the 1950's. Since that time,
he has collected kimonos, especially the extravagant, heavily
embroidered wedding kimono. He explained to us that the 1,500 year
tradition of wedding kimono is coming to an end, as many Japanese
brides now prefer western styled wedding gowns over the traditional
attire. It was hard for us to imagine that preference as we oohed and
ahhed as each gorgeous garment was brought out. But of course, for
us, it's just a piece of clothing and is not freighted with the
centuries of tradition. It originally came from China around 800 A.D.
and the Japanese then modified it to their own liking.
The
antique wedding kimono
in his shop
have been made from a single strip of silk, 14.2 inches wide and 12.5
yards long. The silk, originally white, is then dyed, painted, and
bleached, often many times over, to obtain the desired background.
Then the embroiderers go to work. Typically, they can do about an
inch per day! This may explain the high cost and the fact that no two
kimono are the same. Every symbol on the kimono means something:
cranes symbolize good luck, long life, fidelity, peace and happiness
and are a very popular wedding kimono motif. Turtles also symbolize
long life and pine trees appear frequently. Mr. Fuller pointed out
that all of the gold seen on these antique kimono is real. Most of
them are red inside, another symbol of luck. Purple was traditionally
only used by royalty, as in the West. Royalty also used a white
lining as being royal they had no need to fight off evil spirits
which was one of the meanings of other colors. He also informed us
that wedding kimono do not require an obi, the highly decorated sash
around the waist.
A wedding kimono is
distinguished by a
thick roll of binding at the hem. This allows the kimono to be spread
out and admired by the wedding guests. At the formal wedding
reception, the bride may be wearing approximately 22 pounds of
clothing and accessories. She is expected to stand without moving for
3 hours at this reception! (If this doesn't make us grateful for the
Chicken Dance, I don't know what will.) Mr. Fuller explained that the
wedding kimono is considered as a manifestation of wealth and during
those 3 hours it will be examined closely by the guests. In the past,
these garments were twelve layers. Originally only nobility wore
kimono and their castles could be cold so the layers served a
practical function. Eventually, however, the layers came to mean rank
and wealth. Some of the kimono that we saw displayed multiple layers.
After
Commodore Perry
opened Japan in
the mid-1800's, western dress became increasingly popular. But later,
during the Taisho period, (1912-1926), the new Empress let it be
known that one needn't bother to come to court wearing anything but a
kimono! The Empress was particularly fond of painted kimono, so their
popularity increased. Kyoto was not bombed during WWII and many
kimono from earlier periods survived. Most of the kimono that Fuller
owns were made there.
While the entire visit was
enlightening, I think the most exciting time was when we were allowed
to try on two of these gorgeous kimono. We experienced first-hand the
need to have a dresser, as it would be quite difficult to put the
garment on by yourself. Mr. Fuller's daughter, in addition to being
his associate, also performed this function for us. After several of
us tried on the exquisite robes, and felt just a bit more regal while
doing so, we browsed the other offerings at the shop. Plainer kimono
were for sale, as were obis, bolts of painted kimono silk, and haori
– the hip-length kimono jacket. These were originally men-only, but
now are commonly worn by both men and women. They are quite
flattering and have the lovely advantage of being considerably more
affordable than the wedding kimono.
It's well worth
a trip to
Wabasha just
to go to the kimono gallery/shop. While you're there, however, do as
we did and also visit the National Eagle Center. You won't even have
to move your car, as everything within Wabasha's center district is
within walking distance. While at the Eagle Center, you can get up
close and personal with our national symbol, the Bald Eagle. We
attended a fact-filled presentation about the eagles and even got to
see one of them eat an afternoon snack. Eagles are carnivores and
have such strong digestive systems that even the bones of their prey
are dissolved. We learned that a lead pellet smaller than a pea will
kill an eagle within days. Clean out your fishing tackle boxes,
please! Eagles congregate in and around Wabasha in the winter, as
open water freezes over up north. The river currents are strong in
this area, due to the flow coming out of Lake Pepin, so the water is
generally open year-round. If you come to the Center in February or
March you may see upwards of 600 eagles in the area. Even though it's
not unusual to see these magnificent birds here in western Wisconsin,
I think many of us made a resolution to return to Wabasha!
Six
Photos from the trip:
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