Sugatami

Sugatami

Date Composed:	2019
Composer:	Aki Takahashi
Premiere Performance:	Saturday, November 28, 2019

 

 

 

Wearing a kimono, the traditional Japanese costume, is not easy. It is long and heavy, and constricts one’s movement thereby affecting one’s posture. You definitely need a “SUGATAMI” when you put on a kimono. Sugatami means “a full-length mirror” and is thought to have come from the words for appearance (姿) and to look (見).  In a regular mirror, you never see yourself in your entirety…just fragments.  However, a Sugatami mirror offers a more complete view. It has been said that when you use a Sugatami mirror, you look for revelation, not reassurance. You don’t look AT yourself, but instead look FOR yourself. Thus, looking into a Sugatami mirror can be a transformative experience as you are finally able to catch a glimpse of your true self.