This was true of most floral patterns. Fabric quality, choice of pattern, thread, paint, wood-block print, and color were essential criteria for presenting the rank, age, gender, and refinement of the person wrapped in it. And refinement was of particular importance. Use of kanji Chinese characters and scenes from Chinese and Japanese classical literature showed literary prowess.
There were so many intricacies involved in early modern kosode that design books were essential. That the most respected artists of the age, ukiyo-e floating world artists, wrote Hinagata bon emphasizes how kosode were actual works of art. Each individual garment was the biodata of its wearer. In the same way, Edo kosode and Hinagata bon are the biodata of an age. By wearing art, early modern Japanese left us a remarkable insight into their world and into what it meant to be Japanese before foreign influence.
Which explains how the kimono as a garment embodies so much about what it means to be Japanese. And why it became so important to post-Edo Japan. The kosode-cum-kimono kept part of traditional Japan alive in a time of rapid modernization and foreign influence. To put that into context, at the same time, Meiji law encouraged men to wear Western clothing, and demanded it for government officials and military personnel at official functions. So as Japan was undergoing a fundamental change on multiple levels during the Meiji period, Japanese women wearing kimono were a reassuring, visual image.
The kimono became a visible yet silent link between between woman, mother, and cultural protector. During the Kamakura period and the Muromachi period , both men and women wore brightly colored kimonos. Warriors dressed in colors representing their leaders, and sometimes the battlefield was as gaudy as a fashion show. During the Edo period , the Tokugawa warrior clan ruled over Japan.
The country was divided up into feudal domains ruled by lords. The samurais of each domain wore identified by the colors and patterns of their "uniforms. The kamishimo was made of linen, starched to make the shoulders stand out. With so many samurai clothes to make, kimono makers got better and better at their craft, and kimono making grew into an art form. Kabuki actors and courtesans wore brighter, more elaborate kimonos than the general public.
The new color printing techniques made wood block prints affordable and what appeared on stage was quickly picked up by the merchant classes, before trickling up to the ruling classes. Please check the museum website for updates on exhibition schedules. As Japan closed itself to outside influences, new techniques developed, including yuzen dyeing, to imitate the costly process of hand-painting, while subverting sumptuary laws.
While the ruling classes tried to impose restrictions on colors and materials, the merchants got around these rules by wearing them under plain outer layers, showing just a flash of color at a sleeve or a hem. Taro Kimono. Taro Okamoto Memorial Museum, Tokyo. During the Meiji era , Japan opened up to international influences and began to modernize every part of society.
It was a fascinating period for fashion, mixing Japanese and western styles. Men were encouraged to wear western clothing, and women to wear a kimono.
Technological advances from the west brought new printing techniques and synthetic dyes that allowed brighter colors.
Through the Taisho era and Showa eras, modern art movements, along with cheaper Meisen silks, encouraged the bolder patterns that are coming back into fashion today, as young women explore retro fashion. Please check the museum website for updates to exhibition schedules. Nowadays, a kimono is mainly worn for special occasions: weddings and funerals, graduations, 20th birthday ceremonies and traditional pursuits like tea ceremony and ikebana. But its influence on fashion is strong.
Young women buy vintage haori kimono jackets to wear with jeans, and international designers draw on the classic shape and motifs. Young Japanese designers are bringing the kimono to a new generation, with bold, casual styles, like the graphic prints of Hirocoledge by Hiroko Takahashi and the punk designs of Tsukikageya.
HOME Back. Saimyoji Temple. Naena Falls. Nita Pass Autumn Leaves. Heritage Stays. Experiences in Japan. As I mentioned, all the unwritten rules and silent judgment from kimono traditionalists have discouraged people from wanting to wear kimono more often.
So new kimono companies are creating styles of kimono that are so non-traditional, they cannot be bound by any traditional rules. Kimono and accessories made with lace, kimono made to be worn with Western accessories, wild patterns that are unrelated to the seasons are all ways kimono manufacturers are reinventing the garment for a younger audience.
Even the established companies have taken notice and begun to experiment with sub-brands that focus on a younger demographic. The history of kimono runs through Japanese culture like a backbone; it is difficult to imagine a Japan without kimono. Freelance writer, photographer, and mentor. Japan-based, Oaktown Oakland, California born.
Freelance writing and photography work includes Lonely Planet, Voyapon, Metropolis Japan, and several regional tourism websites around Japan. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
The images and contents of this site may not be used, reprinted or reproduced without permission. Hit enter to search or ESC to close. Close Search. What is Kimono? Styles of Kimono Kimono tend to be more popular with women than with men , and probably for good reason. Are Yukata Considered Kimono? How To Put On A Kimono Putting on a kimono can be a complicated process which must be followed if you want the result to be presentable. Are Kimono Popular in Japan? Tags: Kimono Traditional Arts.
Todd Fong Freelance writer, photographer, and mentor. The natural beauty of Kyushu: Oita Prefecture. A Shikoku guide: wild beauty and cultural wealth in the eastern part of the island.
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