When I unroll a bolt of kimono silk, I occasionally find white circles, not many, there are only a few per bolt. At first I didn’t use them, I’d just put them in with my scraps. But as my scrap pile grew, it was time to use or toss. So I made this jacket. It’s all from leftovers, various kimono silks of different textures and colors, pieced together and cut through with white strips. And those white circles, I added those in too and called this piece “Moon”.

So here’s what those white circles are. They’re an empty place where you can add your family crest, your “kamon”. You buy the fabric and have your family crest stenciled into the empty white circles. Here you see the circles before and after a kamon has been added.

Depending how formal you want to be, you would put up to five on your kimono, two on your front chest, two on the backs of your sleeves and one on the center back. Wikipedia has a page about Mon. “Mon” is emblem, “kamon” is family emblem.

There are a so many mon, you’ve seen the books on them, beautiful designs that fit so perfectly into a little while circle.

So I’ve been making these Moon jackets, using those white circles and my leftover scraps.

Another Moon jacket, this one a swing.