Katsura was born on 24 April 1930 in Tokyo, Empire of Japan (now Japan). Her father, who was a government official in the former Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (now
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications), and her mother, who founded the dressmaking school (currently
Bunka Fashion College). As a child, she loved fairy tales and picture books, and even during the
World War II, her mind was filled with world's princes on white horses and beautiful castles. Katsura studied fashion at
Kyoritsu Women’s University. After schooling, she taught at her mother's dressmaking school. She has also been credited with popularizing the “everyday” kimono in Japan and around the world after the garment began losing popularity in the 1980s. She opened Japan's first bridal store in
Akasaka, Tokyo, in December 1964. She built her flagship store in
Nogizaka about ten years later. Katsura named
Pierre Balmain as one of her mentors and sources of inspiration. Later that decade, in 1987, she established the Yumi Katsura Bridal Museum in
Kobe, whose collection includes traditional European wedding dresses collected by Katsura.
Exhibits One of Katsura's dresses is in the
Metropolitan Museum of Art's
Costume Institute, located in
New York City. In 2018, Katsura became the first designer to exhibit her work at the
Akasaka Palace.
Books Katsura published more than 20 books on bridal fashion. However, her only book available in English is
Yumi Katsura: Behind the Scenes, released in 2019. == Personal life and death ==