Profile

KIMONO Terrasse

　Established in 2017

Representative: Natsuko Nasu

(Born in Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, July 1968)

 

Titles

25th Okayama Kimono Cultural Ambassador, Kimono Doctor (Certified October 2017)
Representative of KIMONO Terrasse (Certified January 2017)
Instructor at Kinowa Wardrobe Academy, Mae-Musubi Soke (Certified February 1997)
Master at Kinowa Wardrobe Academy, Mae-Musubi Soke (Certified July 2015)

KFP ~Project to make kimono everyday wear~ Proponent (Launched August 2015)
Kyoto Hanamachi Network Supporter Association Member (October 2017 -)
Kyoto Shimabara Suehiroya Kottai Association (November 2017 -)
KIMONO Club Executive Officer (November 2017 -)
Special Member of Japanology University (December 2020 -)
"Waso myself project" proponent and instructor (December 2020 -)
Thirteen Visiting Tokuyo-ji Temple Supporters Association Officer (March 2021 -)
Hinamoto Cultural Foundation Hinamoto Project Ambassador (April 2023 -)
[~Captivating with Wa~ Okayama Fashion Style] Executive Committee (Launched January 1, 2024)

 

Registrations

Trademark Registration [Kojima Obi] (Registered July 2017, No. 5962763)　
Utility Model [Obi for Kimono] (Registered November 2029, No. 3224432)
Trademark Registration [Kurashiki Wa Denim] (Registered November 2020, No. 6312191)
Patent Pending [Obi] (Filed March 2025, Application No. 2025-44694)
Antiques Dealer License (Registered April 2026, Okayama Prefectural Public Safety Commission, No. 721020031005)

 

Kimono Dressing Schools Hosted

・Mae-Musubi Soke Kino-wa Wardrobe Academy Nasu Classroom (Opened February 1997)
・Kanzaki Ryokuchi Plaza Mae-Musubi Kimono Dressing Classroom (Opened January 2002)
・Hobby Kimono Dyeing and Weaving Kondo Mae-Musubi Kimono Dressing Classroom (April 2016 - March 2025)
・On-site Kimono Dressing Classrooms

Kimono Dressing Instruction

Okayama University Tea Ceremony Club (2001 - 2008)
Prefectural Saidaiji High School Tea Ceremony Club (2016 -)
Okayama Gakugeikan High School / Okayama Gakugeikan Seishu Junior High and Senior High Koto Club (Kimono Coordination Instruction, 2021 -)

"Furisode Myself Project" (January 2022 -)
"Children's Kimono Myself Project" (July 2023 -)
"Graduation Ceremony Myself Project" (January 2024 -)
"Shimotsui Yoi Akari" Yukata Dressing Instruction (May 2024 -)

May 2023 Interview video for "Japan Exhibition at Ghent Museum (Belgium)"

 【 INTERVIEW  WITH  KIMONO  SENSEI 】 （English/Japanese)

 

 

Awards

25th Okayama Kimono Cultural Ambassador, Kimono Doctor (Okayama City Mayor's Award)

 

Other

Wedding attendance/escort (January 1997 -)

 

~From an article in Sankei Shimbun on November 18, 2017, "People" (excerpt)~
Proposing "Project to make kimono everyday wear" in Okayama
Natsuko Nasu (49)

『"Japanese denim is an Okayama culture that can be sent out to the world. I was particular about unpretentious, Okayama-like everyday kimono."

Denim fabric, tatami borders, and Sanada braids are specialties of Kurashiki City, Kojima, Okayama Prefecture. The idea for the "Kojima Obi," a glamorous and practical kimono sash that combines these, came about in this way.

She hosts kimono dressing classes. She proposes various ways to tie obi. Several years ago, together with makeup analysts and artist friends, she proposed the "Kimono as Everyday Wear Project" (KFP).

 

From her daily activities of disseminating "Japanese culture" from Okayama, in October she was selected as the 25th Okayama Kimono Cultural Ambassador, "Kimono Doctor," by the Okayama Prefectural Clothing Specialty Store Association (Chairman Norihiro Kondo).

"Local people don't know the unique characteristics of Okayama. While Kyoto has orthodox kimono, there could also be a city that is a base for everyday kimono culture."

In 2016, she had the opportunity to participate in a Japanese culture gathering in Kyoto, and came up with the idea of "combining" local textile industry specialties to "promote Okayama's uniqueness." The "Kojima Obi" attracted much attention, and was trademarked and commercialized this year.

 

"The form of dissemination has been created. But what about the heart?"

Due to the sharp increase in foreign tourists, areas like the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter are popular for their "townscape that Kyoto doesn't have." However, a recent challenge is whether "the charm born from interactions and Okayama's unique omotenashi (hospitality) culture are being nurtured."

This month, an event to learn "Japanese omotenashi" from a courtesan from Kyoto's Shimabara, who visited Okayama to see a friend, was planned at a low cost. About 60 participants, including young people unfamiliar with geisha districts, praised it as "discovering an ancient and new world."

"An obi ties things together. It can tie people to people, town to town, past to present, and even the future. What kind of message should I send next?"

 

　

KFP ~Project to make kimono everyday wear~
With the aim of passing down traditional ethnic costumes to the future, a group under this project name was launched in the summer of 2015.