¡°This design is a traditional motif of scissors and roses,¡± Maki Yamamoto says, pointing to an obi that has caught my eye at her pop-up shop and exhibition in Tokyo¡¯s Azabu Hills complex. ¡°Roses once thrived in Gaza¡¯s fertile soils.¡±
The kimono fabrics on display may have been Japanese in function, but their form was Palestinian. That is thanks to Yamamoto¡¯s , an organization that employs Palestinian women in Gaza and the West Bank¡¯s refugee camps to adorn traditional Japanese garments with Palestinian tatreez embroidery.
In Palestinian poetry and art, roses are a symbol of resilience and the enduring spirit of the Palestinian people. Cypress trees and the eight-pointed Star of Bethlehem also feature prominently in the sashes on display at her pop-up, which ran from June 18 to 23 and featured dozens of hand-embroidered obi ¡ª examples of the splendor and beauty that defined Palestine in times of peace.
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