Child’s Kimono with Charlie Chaplin Design

This child’s kimono captures the worldwide popularity of Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977), a comedic British actor who became one of the biggest stars of the 20th century’s silent-film era in Hollywood. The kimono is embellished with repeated images of Chaplin, his cute dog from the movie A dog’s life (1918), a camera, a ship, a train passing by Mount Fuji, and a pair of doves. In 1932, Chaplin, a widely recognized film star, also popular with children, went on a three-week trip to Japan. He arrived in Kobe, on board the Suemaru (represented in the kimono), on May 14 and was greeted with great enthusiasm and excitement. On the morning of May 15, Prime Minister Inukai’s secretary invited Chaplin to attend a welcoming reception that evening. Had he attended, he might have been killed. On May 15, 1932, a group of young naval officers, army cadets and radicalized civilians stormed Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi’s Tokyo residence and shot him in an attempted coup d’état. The plot, dubbed the “League of Blood Incident,” was hatched in early 1932. It aimed to assassinate several influential businessmen and politicians to bring about a “Shōwa Restoration,” which would restore power to Emperor Hirohito and abolish the Taishō democracy that had begun after the Russo-Japanese War. The plot also called for the assassination of Charlie Chaplin. His murder was meant to enrage the United States, triggering a war between the two nations. Chaplin survived due to his interest in sumo wrestling—at the last minute, he decided to attend a sumo tournament accompanied by the prime minister’s son, Takeru. This kimono, likely created shortly before Chaplin’s visit, documents a moment when a fascination with Western culture coexisted with rising nationalism and the militarization of Japanese society.

Much of the wool consumed in Japan in the early 20th century was in the form of thin wool muslin, or delaine (mousselin de laine). In 1896, it accounted for 40 percent of imported woolen fabrics. This light, soft material was well suited for women’s and children’s wear, including kimonos and obi sashes. The Japanese began to build up an efficient worsted industry through the prduction of delaine for traditional clothing. It was in 1898 that the first integrated plants for spinning and weaving delaine came into production—Mosurin Bōshoku in Osaka and Tokyo. By 1904, more delaine was produced locally than was imported. Around 1907, after years of experimenting, a printing technique was perfected, bringing down the price and increasing demand. The child’s kimono with Charlie Chaplin design represents this industry’s development and documents the production of children’s wear.