THE HAKUBI GROUP

AND

THE FOUNDATION ON PROMOTING THE NATIONAL COSTUME OF JAPAN

AT THE

ROYAL ONTARIO MUSEUM-EATON COURT

SUNDAY 25 MAY, 1997

All demonstrators, guest lecturers, and participants from the Hakubi Group gathered at the Royal Ontario Museum on Sunday morning to rehearse and prepare for the large show to be undertaken that afternoon in the Eaton Court, the museum's largest gallery with seating available for as many as 300 people. For this performance, a stage was necessary, as well as sound equipment and seating that required a museum crew to put up and take down. While the teachers were busy downstairs readying their costumes and make-up, Mr. Mizushima, Prof. Richard, and Ms. Osanai were upstairs in the Eaton Court making final checks on sound quality, placement of stage and kicho ornamentation, microphone balance, and details regarding the programs, ushers, etc. All local arrangements, press releases, and programs were handled by Mr. Ken Dewar of the museum staff.

Prof. Richard and Ms. Osanai took care of the simultaneous English translation and Japanese commentary as we had for the earlier shows, but this time the museum had provided us with an extra bit of background which they thought reflected the nature of our show. The fan, of course, was Chinese, and the heavy brocaded wedding garment visible behind were not quite in the elegant style of the Hakubi show, but the effort was appreciated none the less.

As on the previous day, local models, all volunteer, were used for portions of the show related to kimono for unmarried women, and for the showing of the costumes for 7-5-3 or 'shichi-go-san,' which are the ages at which Japanese boys and girls get dressed in these types of kimono and go to a shrine or temple for a blessing. The Toronto models on that day were: Ms. Mayumi Endo (modern furisode, but note her reincarnation as the beautiful court lady in a hosonaga on the following day in the ROM Theatre), Ms. Hiromi Masuda, Ms. Margaret Buckworth and Ms. Ann Parkin on loan from The Canda-Japan Society of Toronto, Ms. Miwa Hamade and Ms. Kana Katai, Ms. Miyoko Oda Allsopp who wore the children's costume, and a young lad who wore the boy's costume. All 18 participants from the Hakubi School in Tokyo acted as models, even Mr. Mizushima and Prof. Richard, who wore two versions of modern dress for men.

The program for this show was extensive and ambitious, but was received with great enthusiasm by the audience of approximately 300 people, most of whom stayed on afterward to greet Mr. Mizushima and his fine group of performers, and to chat and thank the local performers and staff. The final segment of the program served to introduce the junihitoe or layered formal attire, to be shown in more detail in the next evening's performance in the ROM Theatre of 'Heian Elegance- the Attire of the Japanese Court in the 12th Century.' Two models served in this capacity; Ms. Tomoko Kubo at the Eaton Court, and Ms. Emi Matsuzaka in the ROM theatre.