Sorry, looks like we don't have enough of this product.
Tokyo-inspired, in your wardrobe.
Japanese umbrellas and parasols woven in the wagasa tradition — bangasa rain umbrellas in oil-treated washi paper, janome-gasa parasols in lacquered bamboo, sun parasols and clear umbrellas for daily Tokyo wear. Every silhouette of the Japanese umbrella canon, from Edo craft to contemporary streetwear.
The catalog runs across both ends of the Japanese umbrella tradition — the wagasa pieces built in oil-treated washi paper and lacquered bamboo for ceremonial wear and Edo-style craft, and the contemporary clear, sun and rain umbrellas that solve the practical problems of Tokyo daily weather. The wagasa pieces sit at the higher end of the catalog price-wise, with the contemporary models running more accessibly. Each piece carries either the traditional Japanese craft logic or the contemporary Tokyo street aesthetic — both informed by the same source vocabulary.
What separates a Japanese umbrella from a Western one isn't just the construction. It's the role the object plays in the wider wardrobe. In Japan, the umbrella has been a status object, a wedding accessory, a tea ceremony prop, a kabuki theater prop, a daily utility item and a fashion piece simultaneously for almost a thousand years. The catalog reflects that range, from the bangasa rain umbrella you carry to a summer matsuri to the janome-gasa parasol that anchors a formal kimono outfit.
The traditional Japanese umbrella — wagasa — emerged in its current form during the Edo period, though oil-paper umbrellas had existed in Japan since the introduction of Chinese parasols in the sixth century. The Edo refinement was the bamboo rib structure that allows a wagasa to fold tighter than its Chinese predecessors and the oil treatment of the washi paper that makes a traditional Japanese paper umbrella waterproof enough for actual rain rather than purely decorative.
Two regions established themselves as the main wagasa production centers and still produce the highest-end traditional pieces today. Kyoto wagasa makers focused on the higher-formality silhouettes — janome-gasa parasols with the distinctive concentric circular pattern, ceremonial nodategasa for tea ceremony, and the elaborate decorated pieces used in formal kimono dress. Gifu, in central Japan, became the production hub for daily-use bangasa umbrellas — simpler, more utilitarian, often unpainted bamboo with kihada-treated paper. The catalog includes both traditions, with our higher-end traditional Japanese umbrella pieces drawing on the same construction logic as the artisan workshop pieces that retail for several hundred dollars in Kyoto and Tokyo.
Several types make up the Japanese umbrella canon. The bangasa is the rain umbrella — sturdy, masculine in traditional convention, made from oil-treated washi paper on bamboo ribs, with a simple plain or striped construction rather than elaborate decoration. The janome-gasa is the parasol — typically lighter than the bangasa, named after the snake-eye concentric circle pattern that traditionally decorated the upper section of the umbrella. The nodategasa is the large red ceremonial parasol used in outdoor tea ceremony and at formal Shinto wedding processions — instantly recognizable in any photograph of a traditional Japanese ceremony.
Beyond these traditional types, the catalog includes contemporary Japanese sun umbrellas and clear umbrellas that have become wardrobe staples in Tokyo. The Japanese sun umbrella — higasa — solves a practical problem. Tokyo summers run extreme UV indexes, and a higasa carried during walking commutes is standard daily wear in Japanese cities far more than in Western ones. The Japanese clear umbrella has become its own micro-category, with the transparent vinyl konbini umbrella sold at every 7-Eleven for a few hundred yen now an accidental icon of Japanese urban design. Our clear umbrellas sit in that lineage at a step up in build quality.
The traditional Japanese umbrella works with formal Japanese dress in a specific way. A janome-gasa parasol pairs with a formal kimono for ceremonies, weddings and traditional outings. A bangasa rain umbrella pairs with kimono and yukata for protection during summer storm wear, and the contrast of a simple bamboo-and-paper umbrella against an elaborate kimono is part of the traditional aesthetic. For contemporary clothing, the rules loosen — Japanese umbrellas pair as well with selvedge denim and a kimono jacket as they do with formal dress, and the Tokyo street aesthetic has embraced traditional wagasa as fashion accessories well outside their original ceremonial context.
For practical daily use, the higasa sun parasol works through Tokyo summer from late May through September. The bangasa rain umbrella handles standard rainfall and the seasonal tsuyu rainy season in June. The clear umbrella suits transitional showers and the unpredictable autumn weather in October-November. Most buyers in the catalog start with one Japanese umbrella for ceremonial or photography use and add a second for daily practical wear over time.
A traditional Japanese paper umbrella requires more care than a modern nylon one but lasts decades when handled correctly. The oil-treated washi paper and lacquered bamboo are durable but vulnerable to specific failures. After use in rain, a wagasa should be opened indoors and allowed to dry completely before being closed and stored — closing a wet wagasa traps moisture against the paper and accelerates degradation. The bamboo ribs benefit from occasional waxing with carnauba or beeswax to prevent drying and cracking, particularly in centrally heated Western homes during winter.
Storage matters as much as use. A wagasa stored open in low-humidity environments holds its shape and color for decades. Stored closed in a sealed bag, the same umbrella can develop mold in the paper or warping in the bamboo within a single season. The traditional Japanese approach is to display the wagasa on a wall mount or in a dedicated umbrella stand when not in use. Each piece in the catalog includes care guidance, and our contemporary pieces — clear vinyl, sun parasol, modern rain umbrella — require only the standard care any nylon or vinyl umbrella does. The traditional pieces reward attention. The contemporary pieces work as everyday objects.
