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- Sponsor�s Foreword
There is a long stoiy about how the kimonos of one of Japan�s greatest entertainers became donated to the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, all of which cannot be recounted here.
It suffices to say that Yoshiko Karasawa (my wife) convinced Mrs. Fumi Suzuki, a close friend and admirer of Ichimaru, that the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, with its extensive Asian collections, would be a fitting repository for part of Ichimaru�s famous kimono collection, other portions of which will form the basis of a special collection at a museum in her home prefecture of Nagano.
Mrs. Suzuki, President of Liebezeit Co. Ltd., is an important Tokyo Business person and a patron of the arts. She lives by the Sumida River in the Yanagibashi neighbourhood, very close to the building in which Ichimaru made her home.
As my wife and I are both interested in encouraging an understanding in Canada of the rich cultural traditions of Asia, it is appropriate that our family foundation sponsor the catalogue of this fine exhibition, which has been so well written by curator Barry Till. He weaves a compelling story of not only the nuances of the age old geisha tradition, but how a young country woman rose from a background of poverty to become one of her country�s national treasures.
Michael J. Audain President
AUDAIN FOUNDATION
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