The Japanese have used Kimono for several hundred years. Nowadays, Kimono is usually used only on holidays. Japanese women wear kimonos more commonly than men, often with outstanding colors and patterns. Men use kimono mainly during weddings and tea ceremonies, and men's kimonos are often patternless, and are darker in color.
Originally, "Kimono" was a Japanese word meaning "clothes". But in recent years, this word has been used to refer to traditional Japanese clothing. Kimonos that we know today were born in the Heian period (794-1192).
From the Nara period (710 - 794), up to that time, the Japanese often wore a set of separate upper and lower (pants or skirts) or a set of instant clothes. But during the Heian dynasty, a new technology for making kimonos was developed. Known as the straight-line-cut method, it involves cutting pieces of fabric in a straight line and stitching them together. With this technology, kimono makers no longer have to worry about the shape of the wearer's body.
Straight-line-cut kimonos offer many advantages. They are easy to fold. They are also suitable for all weather. They are also worn inside to create warmth in the winter. Kimonos made from cool fabrics like linen are perfect for summer. These advantages make kimonos a part of the lives of Japanese people.
Over time, kimono became fashionable, the Japanese became interested in matching kimonos and they developed a higher sensitivity to colors. Typically, the color combination represents the seasonal color or the political status of the wearer.
During the Kamakura period (1192-1338) and Muromachi (1338-1573), both men and women wore colorful Kimono sets. Warriors wear colors that represent their leader and sometimes, the battlefield is colorful as a fashion show.
During the Edo period (1603-1868), the Tokugawa warrior clan dominated all over Japan. The country was divided into feudal lands dominated by lords. The samurai of each land are identified for their color and pattern. They consist of three parts: a kimono, a sleeveless outfit over a kimono (kamishimo) and a skirt-like pants (hakama). Kamishimo made of linen, stiffened to accentuate the shoulder. Due to making many samurai outfits, the skill of the Kimono craftsmen is increasing and making Kimono gradually becomes an art form. Kimono became more valuable and parents passed it on to their children as an heirloom.
During the Meiji period (1868-1912), Japan was strongly influenced by foreign cultures. The government encourages people to adopt Western costumes and customs. Government and military personnel are required to wear Western outfits for major government events. (This law is no longer in effect). For ordinary citizens, when wearing Kimono to formal events, the kimono must be attached with a family badge to identify the family of the wearer.
Nowadays, Japanese people rarely wear Kimono in everyday life. They save them for occasions like weddings, funerals, tea parties or other special events like summer festivals.
Types of Kimono and designs
Furisode
Shiromuku (middle) and tomesode (right)
Men's and women's yukata
Kimonos for women are usually only one size, wearers need to dress up to suit the body. There are many types of kimono:
Furisode: for single girls, wide and long sleeves, bright colors with many decorative patterns on fine silk, hand-woven.
Tomesode: is a formal garment for married women, characterized by short sleeves, the traditional main color of the body is black, the bodice below has some simple patterns with elegant color. Black Tomesode has embroidered family insignia used to wear in formal events such as the weddings of relatives.
Hōmongi: for all types of women (but most commonly married women), often worn in tea parties, family gatherings or formal visits. Elegant colors, decorative patterns are available throughout the fabric, but the density of patterns is not equal to Furisode.
Tsukesage: is worn at parties, tea parties, flower arrangements and friends' weddings. Often there is a pattern running along the body and back of the shirt, covering the top of the shoulders, the pattern on the shirt is bright and prominent.
Komon: worn in casual occasions, fully decorated with small, gentle motifs.
Tsumugi: also worn in casual occasions but the motifs are brighter and clearer.
Yukata: A casual, summer kimono, usually made of cotton with short sleeves. Also commonly worn in traditional Japanese inns.
Shiromuku: a white dress the bride wears at a wedding with a long and rounded tail. White represents the beginning of a trip. This costume usually comes with a white cloth on the head called a tsunokakushi.
Jūnihitoe: ie "twelve layers of clothing" - is the costume for Japanese royal women and nobles in the Heian period. In fact, the number of layers in this outfit is only relative, [1] consisting of several different types of kimono.
Kimono material is also distinguished according to the weather of the four seasons.
From January to May: Due to the cold weather, the kimono is used as a thick lining, with a warm color.
From June to September: Due to hot summer weather, kimonos are used without linings, with cool colors (called hitoe). During the hottest part of the year, kimonos are used as the thinnest and coolest linen.
Men's kimonos are often patternless, dark in color and imprinted with the family lineage. The most formal traditional color is black.
Sewing and manufacturing way
8 pieces of fabric to make a female kimono.
The way of sewing women's kimono is quite simple with a single method: 1 piece of fabric 12-13m long and 36–40 cm wide is cut into 8 pieces (5 pieces for men's kimono). These pieces are then hand stitched together to create the basic shape of the Kimono. All seams are based on straight lines. All the pieces of cloth are used, nothing is thrown away. Usually, the fabric used is silk, but yukata (summer kimono) is made of cotton. The use of sewing with 8 pieces of fabric makes it easier to remove the kimono to replace and repair problems such as old, discolored, or damaged fabric.
Kimono is colored in one of two ways: the fabric is woven from threads of different colors or the textile is dyed. An example of a fabric woven with colored thread should be oshima-tsumugi. It is produced on the Amami-Oshima island south of Kyushu. This fabric is sturdy and glossy. Another example is yuki-tsumugi, made in Yuki city, Ibaraki prefecture. It is so durable that it can still last for more than 300 years. Kimono dyeing begins with white woven fabric, which is then painted or embroidered. This technique produces fabrics of a variety of colors. An example of fabric dyeing is kyo-yuzen, made in Kyoto and recognized for its meticulousness, generous color. Another example is kaga-yuzen, manufactured in Kanazawa city. Kaga-yuzen is recognized by real nature images.
The advantage of a woven fabric with colored thread is that it has an even color on both sides, so if the front of the fabric fades, you can flip to the other side to use. The advantage of dyed fabric is that if the color fades, it is easier to dye a new color.
The outfit comes
How to tie taiko-musubi
How to tie Darari-Musubi
Kimono and accessories are displayed in a shop in Japan.
When wearing a kimono, wear a juban first, a bra to protect the kimono from dirt, then roll the right side first, left side back, and tie it with silk Obi belts. If wrapped to the left first, you are going to go to the funeral. Wearing kimonos takes time, and is almost impossible to wear on your own. The person wearing the kimono must wear wooden clogs, and white tabi socks.
An indispensable accessory to identify the kimono, also the pride of the Japanese costume artists, is the obi sash, which is used to fix the folds and as a decorative highlight for the kimono. In addition, obi also implicitly expresses social components. An ordinary obi is about 4.2 m long and 30 cm wide, with silk material and decorated with sophisticated hand-woven patterns. There are two types of Obi: fukuro-obi (only decorated with one side) and nagoya-obi (narrower in the middle to make it easier to tie around). Some obi like nishiki-obi made in Kyoto and hakata-kenjo made in Fukuoka prefecture are prized for its liberal colors like gold or silver woven on it.
The Japanese have more than 100 ways to tie obi. Tie styles often reflect things in nature. The most popular and popular type of obi is the taiko-musubi tied on the back, which has a simple drum-style look, is not fussy about age and can be combined with any type of kimono. Taiko-musubi became popular near the end of the Edo Dynasty, invented by geisha in the nineteenth century. Until this type of bow appeared on the screen, people did not really care about the beauty of the obi, it was just a tool to hold the kimono in place so that the front side was sealed. But as soon as the taiko-musubi appeared, many other bow designs followed.
There is also a bunko-musubi, featuring a winging butterfly, a tateyanoji-musubi with a 45% angled bow (often accompanied by furisode), darari-musubi shaped the form of two long crossed silk sheets, for the maiko (practice geisha).
During the Meiji Dynasty, people began to use obi with accessories such as obi-age and obi-jime. The Obi-age holds the padding used to form the bow in place. Obi-jime is used to hold obi in place. The use of accessories with different colors linksbecome a way for people to show off their aesthetics.
Other essentials to use with the kimono include han'eri and tabi (flip-flops with zori sandals). These items are completely white in color to complement the color of the kimono.
Women wearing kimonos often carry traditional bamboo umbrellas. Men wear kimonos with hakama (a half-skirt, half-skirt accessory, underneath, over the kimono) and haori (a jacket with a hips or thigh flap, wide sleeves).
Cost
A shop selling old kimonos.
A woman's kimono can easily exceed $ 10,000. [1] A complete kimono, bra, bra, obi belt, straps, socks, tabi wooden clogs and other accessories can be> 20,000 USD. The price of an obi can be up to several thousand dollars. However, most kimonos owned by kimono hobbyists or traditional art practitioners are less expensive. Some people make their own kimonos and undershirts, or by reusing old kimonos. Cheaper and machine-woven fabrics can substitute for traditional hand-woven and dyed silk. The old kimono business is also thriving in Japan. These kimonos cost less, only around $ 6. However, women's obi is still the most expensive. Although simple or textured obi only cost about $ 18, a used patterned obi can cost hundreds of dollars because it takes rich craftsmen to make. experience. Obi for men, even ones made of silk tend to be cheaper, because they are narrow and shorter, with less textures than women.
Events wearing Kimono
The Japanese are extremely sensitive to 4 seasons and their clothes always follow the weather. The Japanese are also often informed about the stages in their lives. For example, special events are held to mark important milestones in a child's maturity and people change their Kimono to both weather and event.
For about 30 - 100 days after the baby was born, parents, siblings, and grandparents come to the shrine together to report on the baby's birth. The child is wearing a white kimono underneath. Outside that Kimono, the child wears a kimono dyed yuzen if it is a girl or a set of black kimono with the family badge if it is a boy.
Another important set of events in a child's life is the Shichi-go-san festival held in November. On this day, parents bring their 5 year old son and 7 or 3 year old daughter to the shrine. To thank the gods for keeping their children healthy and growing. The children are also allowed to wear Kimono during this occasion.
At the age of 20, young people celebrate their maturity by going to the shrine on 2nd Monday of January. On this occasion, girls wear Furisode and boys wear Haori and Hakama with matching accents. family brand.
No matter what event to wear, the Japanese always think about the weather factor before deciding which kimono to wear. Light blue colors like light blue are good for spring, cool colors like light purple or dark blue are good for summer. Autumn is good for colors that simulate deciduous colors and winter is the season for strong colors like black and red.
In the summer, the Japanese love to go to see fireworks and often go to the summer festivals. At these times, they wear yukata. In the past, Japanese people used to wear yukata after bathing but now they are defaulted to casual summer wear, worn by Japanese people of all ages and genders. Traditionally they were blue in combination with white but in recent years, colorful designs have emerged.
Although kimonos are no longer the everyday Japanese wear, they prefer to wear kimonos at times throughout the year.
