What is the history of kimono?

Kimono (着物-きもの，kimono) is the national costume of Japan. Before the Edo period called Wu clothing, language from the "Ancient Records", "Nihon Shoki", "Songwindows Dreams", originating from the Japanese native Yayoi clothing combined with the ancient Chinese Wu clothing, Tang Dynasty clothing, Western missionary clothing hybrid product, Tokugawa Ieyasu period officially known as the kimono. Prior to this time, Japanese clothing was called "kimono," and the ancient Japanese term "kimono" was a type of kimono. Kimono can be categorized into public and military kimono. Nowadays, the so-called kimono is actually the small sleeves of the ancient times, and the small sleeves have been worn since the Muromachi period, and the white small sleeves of the aristocrats have gradually become the clothes of the common people. "In addition to the kimono, the kimono also includes the hakama, the hakama, and the kimono from the Heian period, which are not kimono, but traditional clothing from the local area. The twelve monograms were modified from the Nara-era shōtōs, and have since been changed and innovated.

History of the Kimono:

The first Japanese clothes were women's clothes called "kanji" and men's clothes called "yokozuna". The so-called "kanburi" was a rather primitive but practical way of digging a hole in the cloth, pulling it down over the head, tying the cloth under the armpits with straps, and putting on an undergarment similar to a skirt. The so-called "yokozuna" is an uncut cloth worn around the body, exposing the right shoulder like a monk's surplice.

The coarse cloth garments of Japan's ancient past, with their narrow sleeves and sloping lapels, were similar to those worn in ancient China. However, the real documented introduction of Chinese dress into Japan, and its absorption and institutionalization, would have begun in the Nara period. In the 8th century A.D., Chinese clothing of the Tang Dynasty was introduced to Japan, which influenced the kimono, which originated in Japan itself. At that time, the kimono was known by many names, such as "kanji," "yokozuna," and later "kimono," and was influenced by the clothing of East Asia. The Nara period in Japan coincided with the period of the Tang Dynasty in China. Japan sent a large number of scholars and monks to China to learn and exchange ideas. These envoys brought back to Japan the culture, art, and legal system of the Tang Dynasty. The "Clothing Order" was one of the systems established during the Nara period. The "Clothing Order" regulated dresses, court dresses, and uniforms - court dresses included crowns and hats, which were categorized according to the rank of the official, while uniforms were the clothes of unofficial civil servants, which were categorized according to the profession. On the whole, the colors of Nara-era clothing were relatively simple.

During the Heian Period (after the ninth century), due to the prevalence of the national style, the Japanese kimono gradually escaped from foreign influences and developed its unique characteristics of extravagant beauty and refinement, and the colors of its clothing began to diversify, with the sleeves moving toward wider widths. For example, if you are familiar with Japanese history, you will have heard of the "Togi" and the "Shichidan". A tōyō is a type of dress (gown) with purple and scarlet coloring, and it is very beautiful with gold and blue coloring.

The Kamakura period saw the emergence of a relatively lean and simple martial arts culture, which was reflected in the clothing. In addition, at that time, the Yuan Dynasty united China and invaded Japan ten times in a row: the Japanese people reverted to simple clothing with wide sleeves and narrow sleeves in order to facilitate the war.

During the Muromachi period, family crests (in ancient Japan, each family had a family crest according to its family name, and it is estimated that the number of family crests was more than 20,000) were printed on clothes, and the design of civilian clothes began to be dressy. Straight pendants and kimono hats were fashionable men's clothing, and were widely popularized. Women's clothing became simpler.

During the Azuchi-era of Oda Nobunaga and the Momoyama-era of Toyotomi Hideyoshi (mid-16th century), people began to emphasize the importance of wearing different styles of clothing for different occasions, and the "visitor's wear" for weddings and tea ceremonies, and "stay-sleeved wear" for festivals, Bar Mitzvahs, banquets, and blind dates, appeared. During this period, the folkloric "Noh music" gradually took shape, and the gorgeous and luxurious "Noh" attire appeared. At this time, there were no major changes in the clothing of the ministers, which was basically a continuation of the Heian period court clothing, and the final fusion of the ministers with the martial arts family occurred in the Meiji period, which was a later period.

During the Momoyama period, people began to wear different costumes for different occasions, which led to the emergence of the "visiting costume" (a pattern from the left shoulder and left sleeve to the lapel and skirt) worn at wedding banquets and tea parties, and the "sleeve-retaining costume" worn at festivals, Bar Mitzvah festivals, banquets, and matchmaking events. "

Jiangsu

The Edo period was the most prosperous period in the history of Japanese clothing, and there were changes in men's and women's clothing (e.g., the shape of the small sleeves of women's clothing became close to modern times, and men's clothing became popular with the hayashi < black and five patterns for the formal wear, followed by tea and yellow >, and belt knots began to become popular). However, the basic pattern was set, and by the Meiji era, the kimono in the sense of the word was finalized, and has not changed much since then. Most of the kimono we see is along the Edo period clothing special style.