The Kan’ei Gyoko 400th Anniversary Commemoration will finally commence this April.
As a prelude, the March session of the “Kan’ei Culture Lecture Series” will focus on Tokugawa Masako, the fifth daughter of Tokugawa Hidetada, who entered the Imperial Court as consort to Emperor Go-Mizunoo.
Masako bore two sons and five daughters to the Emperor. One of her daughters, Onna-no-Ichi-no-Miya (the First Imperial Princess), later ascended the throne as Emperor Meishō.
Among the cultural influences Masako brought with her to the court was the kosode, a style of kimono. This, in time, sparked the popular Kanbun Kosode fashion trend. In this sense, Masako may be regarded as a fashion leader in terms familiar to the modern era.
■ Lecturer: Kawakami Shigeki (Professor, Faculty of International Studies, Osaka Gakuin University)
■ Date and Time: Sunday, March 15, 2026
From 2:00 p.m. (Doors open at 1:30 p.m.)
2:00 p.m. Introduction to the Kan’ei Gyoko 400th Anniversary Commemoration
2:10 p.m. Lecture by Professor Kawakami Shigeki
Scheduled to conclude at 3:40 p.m.
■ Admission: Free of charge
■ Venue: Kyoto Prefectural Guest House (Kyoto Prefectural Hall ALTI)
590-1 Ryūzen-chō, Karasuma-dori Ichijō-sagaru, Kamigyō Ward, Kyoto
(5-minute walk south from Exit 6 of Imadegawa Station on the subway)
■ Capacity: Approximately 70 participants (first-come, first-served basis)
■ Registration: Please apply via Peatix 【Fully Booked】
Registration opens at 10:00 a.m. on February 20.
■ Program: Kan’ei Culture Lecture Series, Session 9
“The Splendor of the Capital — The Magnificent Kimono of Tōfukumon’in”
In 1620 (Genna 6), at the age of fourteen, Tokugawa Masako entered the Imperial Court as consort to Emperor Go-Mizunoo. She later became known as Tōfukumon’in and served as a vital bridge between the early Edo-period court and the Tokugawa Shogunate.
During the Kan’ei era, a style of dyeing known as Gosho-zome is said to have originated from the tastes of the Nyoin (Empress Dowager residing in her own palace). This fashion spread beyond women of the court to townspeople in Kyoto and even to rural areas. Tōfukumon’in commissioned kosode from the Kyoto draper Kariganeya. In her mid-fifties alone, she ordered more than 170 garments within a single year. These kosode represented the finest quality of their time.
Drawing upon surviving historical records of Kariganeya, this lecture will examine the kosode favored by Tōfukumon’in.
〈Inquiries regarding this event〉
info@kaneigyoko400.jp [Executive Committee Secretariat]
Organized by: Kan’ei Gyoko 400th Anniversary Executive Committee (within the Agency for Cultural Affairs Collaborative Platform)
Co-organized by: Living History KYOTO
Living History in Kyoto – Nijo Castle Council
