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» Traditional Japanese umbrellas feature designs inspired by The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls

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Traditional Japanese umbrellas feature designs inspired by The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls

Jamie Koide Mar 8, 2016
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Made in Gifu Prefecture, these elegant designs reflect not only modern pop culture, but an umbrella-making tradition that stretches all the way back to the Edo Period.

The Idolmaster Cinderella Girls anime and manga series are based on the hit game app of the same name. Despite the application coming under fire a few years back after its “kompu gacha”, or “complete gacha”, events were ruled as a violation of Japan’s laws against gambling, an animated television adaptation was green-lit for broadcast in the spring of 2014, and the show has since aired for two seasons.

Following the release of volume nine of the series on Blu-ray and DVD last month, fans of Cinderella Girls now have something else to look forward to: a pair of umbrellas based on the image of Kyoto idol Sae Kobayakawa, along with another series’ collaborative piece by traditional Japanese umbrella artisans in Gifu.

The umbrellas come in two designs, “Hanakanzashi (“Flower Ornament”)” and “Yume no Saki e” (“Heading Toward the Dream”), and will be displayed at the nation’s largest anime convention taking place this year from March 25–27, Anime Japan.

AnimeJapan2016にて「シンデレラガールズ」×「岐阜和傘」の和傘（「花簪」小早川紗枝Ver.／「夢の先へ」作品コラボVer.）の展示を行います！ https://t.co/5fr1N75c2L #imas_cg pic.twitter.com/xhncl597TH

— アイドルマスター (@imas_anime) February 26, 2016

The “Flower Ornament” version looks as bright and colorful as Sae’s personality, and the clock design on “Heading Toward the Dream”, positioned just past midnight, echoes the Cinderella part of the series’ namesake. Check out all that detail on the inside, too!

https://twitter.com/takasantb/status/703102979256135682

Although a few netizens have expressed dissatisfaction that the those unfamiliar with the series may not make the connection upon first glance, others have praised them for having a simple and stylish design, unlike some of the ita (painful) umbrellas we’ve featured before, such as these upskirt panty shot ones.

No news yet when or if the umbrellas will be eventually available for purchase, but considering the umbrella-making trade in Gifu is over 400 years old, we have no doubt the quality is top-notch. Normally these umbrellas take over 100 steps to complete from start to finish, including the production of the strong Mino washi paper used to make the canopy.

Source: Twitter/@imas_anime, Twitter/@takasantb via Nijipoi
Feature/top image: Twitter/@imas_anime, Amazon.co.jp, edited by RocketNews24
Insert image: Amazon.co.jp