Thai silk featuring Sailor Moon motifs takes centre stage in Tokyo as a Chud Thai exhibition brings traditional craftsmanship together with Japanese pop culture.
Thai silk featuring motifs from the iconic Japanese manga and anime series Sailor Moon has taken centre stage at a Chud Thai showcase in Tokyo, bringing Thai craftsmanship together with Japanese pop culture.
Thailand’s Ministry of Culture, through the Department of Cultural Promotion, organised “Chud Thai: Knowledge, Craftsmanship and Practices of the Thai National Costume” at the Hyokeikan building of Tokyo National Museum on September 17-18, 2026. The event aims to introduce international audiences to the knowledge and fine craftsmanship behind Thailand’s national dress.
A key attraction was a Thai silk wrap skirt featuring Sailor Moon motifs, combining traditional Thai textile craftsmanship with one of Japan’s best-known pop-culture creations.
Sailor Moon was created by Japanese manga artist Naoko Takeuchi and began serialisation in 1991 before becoming an international cultural phenomenon through manga, animation and other media.
The textile was presented as a cultural bridge between Thailand and Japan, showing how traditional Thai craftsmanship can be reinterpreted through contemporary imagery while retaining its cultural roots.
Eight styles of royal Thai dress on display
The exhibition also features all eight styles of Chud Thai Phra Ratchaniyom, or royal Thai dress, with pieces produced by Tirapan and Pha fashion houses.
Also on display is a kimono worn by Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya, made from mudmee silk associated with the SUPPORT Foundation.
The programme also includes a Thai dress fashion show highlighting the continuing development of traditional clothing in a contemporary setting.
Traditional craftsmanship presented as living heritage
Academic discussions at the event featured Assistant Professor Dr Anucha Thirakanont, director of the Sustainable Arts and Crafts Institute of Thailand (SACIT), and Piyavara Teekara Natenoi, director of the Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles. Their names and titles are confirmed in official Thai government and museum-related material.
Visitors were also able to see demonstrations of traditional Thai craftsmanship, including frame embroidery, decorative metallic-thread work, silversmithing and goldsmithing, traditional gilding techniques and the weaving of silk with auspicious motifs.
The programme presents Chud Thai not simply as a historical form of dress, but as a living cultural heritage that can continue to evolve through contemporary design and cross-cultural collaboration.
The Sailor Moon-inspired textile provides one example of that approach, linking a globally recognised element of Japanese popular culture with Thai silk and traditional craftsmanship on an international stage.
