Exhibit: The Enchanting World of Geishas and Divas at TMC!

Heya! 2 weeks ago I visited The Textile Museum of Canada (TMC) for the first time. What drove me to visit the TMC was one of their newest exhibits, From Geisha To Diva: The Kimonos of Ichimaru. I have always been fascinated by the Geisha lifestyle and the beautiful kimonos they wear, so much so that I was inspired to style a modern kimono from Forever 21 in one of my latest Style Posts (read it here).  Geisha To Diva: The Kimonos of Ichimaru exhibit's decades worth of Ichimaru's beautiful kimonos and personal affects, as well as other geisha artifacts. 

I entered the enchanting world of geisha and specifically Ichimaru, 20th century's most famous geisha, and was struck but the beauty of this unique culture. Among the beautiful embroidered and hand painted kimonos, were little placards giving background and history of geisha and the fascinating Ichimaru. In the 1930's, Ichimaru left geishahood and secured a recording contract. She rose to fame, not only in Japan, but around the world. In 1950, Ichimaru performed in Hawaii and became the first entertainer to be invited to perform abroad following World War Two. But even after she left geishahood, Ichimaru continued to performed in full geisha costume. After her death in 1997, she left her treasured kimonos to Dr. Fumi Suzuki, who in turn found a home for them with The Art Gallery of Victoria, in British Columbia.

I don't know why I waited so long to visit this charming museum in the heart of Toronto! I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to The Textile Museum of Canada, and I will be visiting more. There were smaller crowds than the ROM or AGO, so I had the time to wander and fully appreciate the exhibits. There were 2 more exhibits running: Telling Stories and Fictions and Legends: Heather Goodchild and Jerome Harvre, that I will post about soon! For more information on Geisha to Diva: The Kimonos of Ichimaru or The Textile Museum of Canada please visit www.textilemuseum.ca.

Ichimaru's Records

Listening to a recording of Ichimaru singing

Young Ichimaru playing the shamisen

And P.s!: Wednesday nights are the perfect night to visit TMC. Not only are they open late, but admission price is "pay what you can", and there are free workshops offered! See all the exhibits and learn Origami, for less than its costs to see a movie!

P.s,

Melanie!