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Daruma Whiskey Club Tie

$145.00

1980. Bar in downtown Kyoto.

Coming in from the rain, you don’t know this place, but you’re just glad it’s dry. You peel off your wet trenchcoat and look down the bar to see if there’s anything worth drinking.

Right now you don’t really care what you’re drinking, you’re just waiting for someone. But of course you care.

Then you see it, a brown bulb beaming in the shadowy bar. The classic Japanese whiskey in that round bottle, nicknamed “the Daruma.”

That first sip gets you warm, the second sip gets you thinking.

Maybe being kept waiting isn’t so bad after all.

Details

Handmade in Japan.

2 ½” at widest point. Pure silk woven in Kyoto.

Limited quantity.

Baseball King Club Tie

$145.00

1977. Tokyo.

A hush comes over the izakaya as the patrons look up from their beer glasses to the TV. The air is heavy with yakitori smoke and anticipation. The Yomiuri Giants are playing their crosstown rivals, the Yakult Swallows, and Sadaharu Oh marches up to the plate.

The camera cuts to the number one emblazoned on his back, as he hunches down to his trademark “flamingo” batting stance. A quick swing of the bat and the Korakuen Stadium crowd comes to a roar. The television speaker crackles as home run number 756 soars to the sky and passes Hank Aaron’s legendary record.

By the time the ball had left the field, it had lifted Sadaharu Oh to the status of a baseball god.

Incidentally, in Japanese, Oh translates to “king.” A question still lingers of whether his ascension as king of baseball is sheer coincidence, or sign of a divine plan, but any question of his greatness ended that night.

Details

Handmade in the USA.

3 ¼” at widest point. Pure silk.

Limited quantity.

Kabuki Curtain Striped Tie

$145.00

1985. Ginza Kabuki Theatre. Tokyo.

The vivid orange, green, and black stripes running vertically from floor to ceiling.

Like a great big kimono, waiting to open up and reveal the secrets of kabuki to you.

The low murmur of the audience is silenced by the sharp cracks of wooden clappers. The show is about to begin.

The beat of the drums and the plucking of the shamisen, slowly picking up speed into a expansive roar with the applause, while the curtain remains placid.

Then the swell of energy is split.

The curtain is quickly drawn back, transporting you back to the age where honor meant something and justice was delivered with a katana.