Fahion around the world – Japanese dress

 

The use of sewn clothing dates from around the 4th century, when the political structure known as the Yamato court (Yamato chotei) was in a developing stage. As seen in Figures 1 and 2, both men and women wore an upper garment which extended below the waist and had straight, tight sleeves. For a lower garment, men wore loose trouserlike hakama, while women wore long, pleated skirts known as mo.

During the Asuka (593–710) and Nara (710– 794) periods, when Buddhism was introduced and Chinese culture was popular, the apparel worn by persons associated with the imperial court showed strong Chinese influences, as seen in Figure 3.

During the Heian period (794–1185), court dress was divided into three categories: dress for special ceremonies, formal dress to be worn at the imperial court, and ordinary dress for other occasions. The formal apparel for men was known as sokutai (Figure 4). Women’s clothing was worn in many layers; there were twelve layers for the formal dress known as junihitoe (Figure 5).

During the Kamakura (1185–1333) and Muromachi (1333–1568) periods, the men of the warrior (samurai) class who were at the seat of government wore sokutai on formal occasions, but their ordinary dress was known as kariginu (Figure 6), based on the clothing worn on hunting expeditions. Women of the samurai class on ordinary occasions wore quilted silk garments known as kosode, not unlike a type of formal traditional women’s clothing still used at present. But on formal occasions they wore the long robes known as uchikake (Figure 7).

In the Edo period (1600–1868), men of the warrior class wore outfits known as kamishimo (Figure 8) when attending the shogun, but on ordinary occasions both men and women wore kosode and hakama. It became customary to wear lengths of cloth wrapped around the waist and known as obi; men of the warrior class attached swords (Figure 9) to their obi. Women’s obi gradually became wider and more decorative (Figure 10). At the beginning of the Edo period many people dressed very simply, though on formal occasions women might wear uchikake. But even everyday wear gradually became more handsome with the emergence of the attractive dyed materials and tasteful patterns that are still seen in today’s kimono.

Figure 1 & Figure 2 Everyday dress, 4th–6th centuries     Figure 3 Court dress, Asuka period (593–710)   Figure 4 Ceremonial court dress (sokutai), Heian period (794–1185)     Figure 5 Ceremonial court dress (junihitoe or karaginumo), Heian period and Kamakura period (1185–1333)   Figure 6 Samurai dress (kariginu), Kamakura period and Muromachi period (1333–1568)       Figure 7 Winter court dress, Muromachi period and Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568–1600)   Figure 8 Samurai court dress (kamishimo), Azuchi- Momoyama period and Edo period (1600–1868)       Figure 9 Everyday dress of samurai, Edo period   Figure 10 Formal dress of married women, Edo period