Japanese Transparent Umbrella by White Rose

The History of the Transparent Umbrella and Its Pioneer, White Rose

The transparent umbrella was born in Japan. In the years after World War II, White Rose — an umbrella maker founded in Asakusa, Tokyo in 1721 — developed the world's first vinyl umbrella, using a newly available plastic film to create something that had never existed before: a canopy you could see through.

The idea began with a practical problem. At the time, cotton umbrellas were common in Japan, but their dyes could run when wet and stain clothing. White Rose turned its attention to vinyl, a completely waterproof material that had newly arrived in Japan, first using it as a protective cover for conventional umbrellas. When nylon later made those covers unnecessary, the company took the idea further: instead of covering an umbrella with vinyl, why not make the canopy itself from the material? That pursuit of better protection from the rain eventually led to the transparent vinyl umbrella.

Its transparency brought another advantage. Unlike an opaque canopy, it did not block the user's view in poor weather. The clear canopy allowed the person carrying it to see ahead without having to lift or tilt the umbrella, an especially practical feature on busy streets. White Rose would later continue developing this idea around the broader value of maintaining visibility while protecting the user from rain and wind.

Over the decades, the clear umbrella became one of the most widely produced umbrella forms in the world. Inexpensive versions proliferated, and the transparent umbrella became a familiar, everyday item — practical, widely available, and easy to reach for. For many, it also became something disposable — inexpensive enough that losing it hardly mattered.

As the transparent umbrella spread across the world as an inexpensive commodity, White Rose continued on a different course. With roots stretching back to the Tokugawa shogunate — when the first-generation founder supplied rain gear for the processions of feudal lords — the company has always understood the umbrella as something that carries meaning. After World War II, they developed the first vinyl umbrella. While other makers shifted production overseas in the decades that followed, White Rose held to domestic manufacturing, refining what they had invented — developing proprietary film with greater clarity and durability, engineering frame structures built to last, and treating each umbrella as something worth keeping.

Today, their umbrellas are carried at official Imperial Household events, including the Garden Party and the National Tree-Planting Festival. Every umbrella is designed and produced in Japan, with materials selected for how they perform over years, not seasons. As a transparent umbrella made in Japan, White Rose combines the clear visibility that made the original vinyl umbrella distinctive with materials and construction intended for long-term use. The result is a transparent umbrella equally at home on a weekend walk or a business commute — refined enough for both, conspicuous in neither.

That commitment to craft is finding a new kind of recognition — one that sets White Rose apart from the transparent umbrella as most people know it. Among those who pay attention to what they carry, a White Rose umbrella is no longer just practical. It is something to carry with care, and keep for years.

What Makes White Rose Umbrellas Different

Patented "reverse valve" structure

When caught in strong wind, air trapped inside the canopy escapes outward through a patented valve system — preventing the umbrella from inverting and reducing strain on the person holding it. This wind-resistant structure is one of the key features that distinguishes a White Rose transparent umbrella from an ordinary clear umbrella. An umbrella you can open with confidence, even in a storm.

16-rib frame with fibreglass ribs

More ribs than a standard umbrella means better support across the canopy. Fibreglass on the main and supporting ribs keeps the structure light without sacrificing durability. The kind of umbrella you carry every day and barely notice the weight of.

The combination of fibreglass ribs and White Rose's wind-release structure helps create a lightweight, wind-resistant umbrella without relying on a heavy frame.

White birch shaft, natural wood handle

The shaft is white birch; the handle, cherry or camellia wood depending on the model. These are materials that settle into the hand over time — denser, warmer, and more considered than anything synthetic. In a vinyl umbrella, that quality of touch is unexpected. The natural wood handle is another detail that sets White Rose apart from the moulded plastic construction commonly associated with clear umbrellas. It's one of the things that makes White Rose umbrellas worth keeping.

Made in Japan

White Rose has continued to manufacture its umbrellas in Japan, even as much of the umbrella industry shifted production overseas. From the transparent film to the frame structure and natural wood components, each element is selected and assembled with long-term use in mind.

For White Rose, "Made in Japan" is not simply a country-of-origin label. It reflects the company's decision to keep developing and producing the transparent umbrella domestically, refining the materials, construction, and functionality of an invention it first created in Japan.

White Rose's Refined Transparent Umbrellas

Catell MI7

A refined everyday umbrella with White Rose's patented wind-release valve structure, white birch shaft, and camellia wood handle. With its generously sized canopy, the Catell MI7 is a large clear umbrella that offers ample coverage.

Miyabi

White Rose's most refined model. The lightest umbrella in the White Rose lineup, with a clear canopy, gold-toned hardware, and a natural wood handle that deepens with use.

Izayoi-Zakura

Named after the sixteenth-night cherry blossom moon, this umbrella carries a distinctly Japanese sensibility in its form and in its name. Its transparent canopy retains clear visibility while the wind-resistant construction gives it greater resilience in rain and wind. Available in navy, wine, and beige.

Amemachi

A portable version of the White Rose standard — compact enough for a bag, precise enough to carry with confidence. As a folding transparent umbrella, Amemachi combines the portability of a folding umbrella with the clear canopy and wind-resistant construction that define White Rose. Its foldable design makes it easy to carry while retaining the same film and valve engineering used across the White Rose lineup.

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From its beginnings as a practical solution to the limitations of conventional umbrellas, White Rose has continued to refine the transparent umbrella for decades. What began as an invention has become something far more familiar, but White Rose still approaches it with the same focus on visibility, durability, and long-term use.

For those looking for a Japanese transparent umbrella that goes beyond convenience, White Rose offers a different answer — one shaped by history, engineering, natural materials, and continued production in Japan.

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