Tsuruto Chikyu
Making things within a beautiful cycle
Making things and delivering them always draws, somewhere, on the gifts of the earth. That is why we treat using every material to the last scrap, rethinking how we wrap and ship, and sharing even a little of what we receive as part of making itself. Tsuruto Chikyu grew out of that belief.
At Tsuruto, we believe that turning these intentions into something real is one step toward a better earth, and we keep moving forward with that in mind.
Since 2020, we have unpicked more than about 3,200 kimono and remade them into new things.
Fabric comes around
Kimono, carried into the next chapter of everyday life
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Kimonotoki｜Your kimono, made into something you wear every day.
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and Kimono｜Reawakening the overlooked value of kimono that were let go.
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Tsuruto Hina｜Vintage kimono, made into robes for hina dolls.At least 749 families｜Families we have delivered hina dolls to
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Nothing goes to waste｜Even the fabric left after tailoring takes a new form.
Memories become clothing
Beyond a single kimono
Every kimono entrusted to us holds a family's time. Like the young man who had his grandmother's kimono remade into an aloha shirt and told us, "Now I always feel her close by." Through fitting sessions and emails we talk with each customer, and weave their story into the finished garment.
Nothing goes to waste
The fabric left after tailoring
When a kimono is made into clothing, some fabric is always left over. The leftover fabric and linings our customers entrust to us are also used for the bags Kimonotoki arrives in and for making samples.
We also pass it on to makers in Japan and abroad. At an exhibition by woodworker Tsuguto Toma, kimono fabric was laid onto the tops of display stands. Kimono fabric has also gone to brands and artists in Japan, Spain and Colombia, where one-of-a-kind making has begun.
In this way, a single piece of cloth goes on to meet new makers we never expected.
For makers looking for kimono fabric as a material: we pass kimono fabric on to brands and artists who share our belief in using cloth to the very last. To begin, please tell us about what you make.
Wrapping & delivery｜Packaging
A reason behind what we wrap with, too
What your hands touch when you open the box is also part of how Tsuruto makes things. Paper, washi, tape, cushioning, the bags that hold clothing, and shipping itself — we check where each material comes from before we use it.
- Paper
- Yamanashi Forest PaperPaper made from timber grown in prefectural forests in Yamanashi. Part of the proceeds is donated to the Yamanashi greening promotion organization.
- Washi
- Ogawa washiWashi from Ogawa, Saitama — a hometown of Japanese paper.
- Tape
- Sekisui Kraft Tape No.500FKraft tape with a paper base.
- Cushioning
- Wonder Board (Tokiwa Printing, Fukushima)Cushioning made from postcard trimmings and recycled paper, blended with starch.
- Garment bags
- White kimono fabricWe remake white kimono fabric into the bags your clothing arrives in.
- Shipping
- Carbon-neutral shipping (Shopify Planet)For every order, the CO₂ from shipping is estimated, and part of our sales goes to projects that remove that amount from the atmosphere.How it works
Giving back to the earth
ACE｜Where Tsuruto Chikyu donates
Since 2021, Kimonotoki has been a service that includes a donation. We donate to ACE, a certified NPO working to end child labor, and have also supported it as a corporate member. Our charity from fiscal 2021 to 2024 came to 1,203,306 yen in total. Donations made at checkout go to the Tsuruto Chikyu program. We publish a report for each fiscal year.
- ※ Kimono unpicked and remade into new things (about 3,200 kimono): Since 2020. About 3,000 pieces tailored through Kimonotoki, our kimono remake pattern order (including its earlier names Saikai no Koromo and Kimonofuku), plus about 200 kimono unpicked for Tsuruto's own making, such as samples and robes for hina dolls. (as of )
- ※ Families we have delivered hina dolls to (at least 749 families): The number of customers who ordered hina dolls from our online store between December 2020 and February 2026 (excluding cancellations and refunds; in-store purchases are not included). (as of )
- ※ Tsuruto Chikyu charity (1,203,306 yen): The total of our charity reports (PDF) for fiscal 2021 to 2024: donations from Kimonotoki, which includes a donation, and our membership fees as a corporate member of the certified NPO ACE. (as of ) Sources: FY2021 charity report (PDF) / FY2022 charity report (PDF) / FY2023 charity report (PDF) / FY2024-25 charity report (PDF)
ACE is a certified NPO and international cooperation NGO working to end and prevent child labor. Donations made at checkout go to the Tsuruto Chikyu program.
