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Ukiyo-e (浮世絵) Woodblock Prints: Urban Pleasures in Edo Japan
Woodblock prints known as ukiyo-e (浮世絵, “pictures of the floating world”) offer a vivid glimpse into the everyday pleasures and cultural life of Edo-period Japan. Far from being elite art, these prints reflected the tastes and pastimes of the emerging merchant class; urban dwellers who, despite their low social status, became the driving force behind Read more
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An Introduction to Kimono Styles of Japan‘s Taisho Period (1912-26): The Taisho Roman Style of Female Students
At the intersection of East and West, tradition and innovation, the Taishō period (1912–1926) saw the emergence of bold new kimono styles that reflected Japan’s rapidly changing society. Known as Taishō Roman, this aesthetic blended romantic ideals, Western influences, and a playful reinterpretation of traditional dress. In this article, I revisit a demonstration I co-hosted Read more
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Cardiff-Japanese Lecture Series: ‘Kimono (and) Fashion in Japan’
This online public lecture titled ‘Kimono (and) Fashion in Japan’ is part of the Cardiff-Japanese Lecture Series which aims to explore and understand aspects of language learning for those studying Japanese language and culture at Cardiff University, as well as various learners, teachers and researchers with an interest in Japan. The event is funded by Read more
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PhD Dissertation: ‘Negotiating Gendered Identities Through Dress: Kimono at the Coming-of-age Day in Contemporary Japan’
My PhD dissertation is now available online! Please refer to the details below for more information: Becke, Carolin (2022) Negotiating Gendered Identities Through Dress: Kimono at the Coming-of-age Day in Contemporary Japan. PhD thesis, University of Sheffield. This thesis is a study of kimono in contemporary Japan. It builds on and extends the literature on Read more
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Fashion Objects and the Changing Landscape of Fashion: ‘Sustaining Wellbeing through Kimono’
On May 6th, I spoke about my research on mental wellbeing and kimono at the Fashion Objects and the Changing Landscape of Fashion conference which was part of the Fashion Festival Debrecen. This research is inspired by a short, investigative article I wrote for the ‘Collecting Covid-19’ project initiated by the Centre for Digital Anthropology Read more
DR CAROLIN BECKE 