POV

Walk down the street in Tokyo, and there will be echoes of it everywhere. The subtle, sophisticated chic of iki was born during Japan's Edo period and still defines Tokyo's modern urban pulse. It's seen as a core value in Japanese taste and behavior, from the way people dress to how they express themselves. So what is iki? In its most basic form it's an aesthetic ideal: a subtle, effortless elegance that values authenticity, refinement and unpretentious style. In response to strict social codes banning overt displays of wealth, the merchant class of Edo developed iki as a discreet form of rebellion. Subtle details like luxurious kimono linings or intricate accessories were hidden beneath plain exteriors. Over time this urban code filtered from fashion into the arts - which for the first time in Edo society were flourishing beyond the upper class. Hanako Montgomery explores her home city Tokyo through the lens of its former Edo identity. She traces the footsteps of the people that fashioned iki, and meets the Tokyoites of today keeping this urban code of understated cool alive today through fashion, art and poetry.