A work that depicts a single crane dynamically taking flight, using the entire shirt as a canvas. Even among Oriental designs, pieces where a single motif is drawn large using the whole surface are extremely rare, and they are often traded at high prices due to their popularity among collectors. Additionally, this shirt features a rare design with the paulownia crest (a family crest used by the Imperial Family and others) printed in silver pigment over the crane.
Musashiya Shoten steadily increased its customer base using advertisements in major newspapers since the 1920s. Many tourists visited the shop, and orders came from all over the world, including South Africa and Argentina. In the 1930s, the company was incorporated and aimed for further growth, but due to the impact of the Great Depression, it sold its business and store to the import trading company Fujii Junichi Shoten in 1934. The founder then moved to South King in Honolulu and established "Musashiya the Shirtmaker." He continued to energetically produce Aloha shirts, leaving behind numerous historically significant works.
SUN SURF SPECIAL EDITION
Aloha shirt - the garment that symbolizes the paradise called Hawaii. However, its origin has much to do with the Japanese immigrants to the islands, and thus the shirt designs range from tropical patterns to that of oriental. In the mid-20th century, when Hawaii became a popular tourism cite, Aloha shirts were in great demand as a souvenir. With this background did the designs become even more diverse, some of which still appear to this day as incredibly rare vintage. “Sun Surf Special Edition” has a high regard for these textile designers of the time, and it is dedicated to creating complete replicas of such exquisite vintage, by precisely mirroring such features as the multicolor and impressive patterns or the various use of fine details, many of which have tended to be lost over time.
