The Cursed Kimono One of the most famous kimonos in Japanese history is one that, in the 17th century, was owned successively by three teenage girls. Each time one of the girls inherited the kimono, she would die before she had the chance to wear it. The kimono was believed to be such bad that in 1657, a Japanese priest burned it in order to destroy the kimono and the luck it seemed to cause. As the kimono burned, a wind blew the flame and spread the fire, which quickly burned out of control. Eventually this fire spread throug most of Tokyo, destroying 300 temples, 500 palaces, 9000 shops, 61 bridges killing 100,000 people.