The furisode kimono and accessories were displayed in the UBOC Hospitality Room.

by JAMES WOODARD, Hokubei Mainichi

The 2008 Cherry Blossom Queen will get a one-of-a-kind furisode (long-sleeved) kimono donated by the Fujiyasu Kimono Co. in Japan.

The exquisite garment was generously donated by the company as part of a tradition started in 1974.

Former company president Seishichi Ato started that tradition out of gratitude for support that the Japanese received directly following World War II. Many Nisei who had been released from the internment camps sent food, medicine, clothing and other supplies to those who were left with nothing in the aftermath of the war in Japan.

“He has never forgotten that,” said Benh Nakajo, who serves on the queen committee and who displayed the kimono to the local Nikkei press. He noted that even when the Japanese economy was rough, Ato still made his donation.

This year’s kimono is worth $35,000 to $40,000.

“There were times when the economy was so bad, we thought he’d stop,” Nakajo said. “But he just continued to do it.”

One year, when Ato visited the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival, he posed with all of the previous queens in their kimonos. Each queen treasures the kimono as a precious heirloom.

The company’s current president, Kazunari Mochizuki, continues the tradition with the support of Keiji Miyoshi, UBOC vice president and Japantown branch manager, who personally picked up the kimono in Japan and brought it to San Francisco for the pageant.

“They have kindly carried on this tradition,” Nakajo said. “We hope it continues.”

The kimono was shown to the press on Thursday, March 27, at the Union Bank of California Hospitality Room in San Francisco Japantown.

The 2008 Cherry blossom Queen will be selected from among five candidates on Saturday, April 12, at the Sundance Kabuki Cinema, Post and Fillmore in San Francisco. Door open at 6 p.m. and the program begins at 7 p.m. Admission is $25. For more information: (650) 871-9287 or tocamit [at] lanset.com.

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