About the History of Japanese Clothing Development

Due to the influence of other cultures on Japanese culture, the history of the development of Japanese clothing can be divided into the following three main phases:

a) Significant influence of Chinese culture (Asuka, Nara)

b) Native Japanese styles

Heian Period. Kamakura, Muromachi (Shoji), Momoyama (Momoyama-cho) and Edo (Edo)

c) Adaptation to Western culture

(Meiji, Taisho, Showa and Heisei) It was during the Heian period that Japan's native culture began to flourish. During the Edo period, Japanese culture was already in its heyday.

I. Yayoi, Kofun, Asuka, and Nara periods (to 794 A.D.

Sericulture and textile technology began to develop during the Yayoi period (c. 500 B.C. to c. 300 B.C.). Missions sent to China during the Asuka period (552-646) brought Buddhism, Confucianism, and many other

Sui-Tang cultures to Japan. For example, Nara, founded in 710, was built strictly on the model of Chang'an in China at that time, and the organizational structure of the Japanese government at that time and the rules of dress for the nobility as well as for court officials also followed the Chinese

style.

II. Heian period of Japan (794-1185)

In 794, the Imperial Palace was moved from Northern Nara to Heian-kyo (now Tokyo). During the early Heian period (794-897), Japan had been in contact with the Tang dynasty of China, and after 894, the contacts with China ended. The period from 897 to 1185 is known as the post-Heian period, or post-Fujiwara period. Japan was trying to develop its own artistic style at that time, and the changes are clearly evidenced by the development of fabric design forms and clothing styles for all classes of society. On many formal occasions, women at the Heian court wore multiple layers of clothing, carefully matching the colors of each layer, which were visible at the neck, cuffs, and hem of the dress, the most important of which was the layer of Utiki, the lined robe known as Kasane-irome or Kasane. Each layer is longer than the one outside it, thus revealing the edges of each color and producing an attractive effect.

III. Kamakura Period (1185-1333), Muromachi (Masashi) and Momoyama (Momoyama-cho) Period (1333-1600)

With the establishment of the Kamakura government, which represented the samurai class, and the decline of the imperial privilege, stiff military uniforms took the place of luxurious silks. Women in the Muromachi (Shoji) period began to wear kosode (an undergarment that represented nobility in the Heian period) instead of kimonos with their many decorations, and kosodo was gradually accepted as standard dress by women of all classes. During the Muromachi (Masashi) period, no play was created. The highly refined no play clothing became a precious cultural asset of Japan.

Fourth: Edo period (1600-1868)

The Edo period (1603-1868) was a long, peaceful and stable period. Due to the isolationist policies of the Tokugawa government, Japan was almost completely free of foreign influence during this period. The official dress of the samurai was the kamishimo, prostitutes and courtesans competed in wearing elaborate and colorful costumes, and the widespread acceptance of the kosode was strengthened during the Edo period due to the influence of their pursuit of dress. In order not to lose the beauty of the kimono itself, the obi (an obi belt worn with the kosode) of the early Edo period was simple in form, made only of rope braided into the shape of a whip.

V. Modern Developments

During the Meiji period (1868-1912), many Western styles of dress filled the whole of Japan, especially long dresses and pants. At the same time, kimono styles and obi styles had been standardized. With the gradual adoption of Western dress styles in Japan, the wearing of kimonos reached its lowest point in the first two decades after the war. Nowadays, children, young people and women wear kimonos only on ceremonial occasions, such as weddings, Coming-of-Age Day (Adult Day), graduation, Sitigosan Festival and New Year's Day.

Kosode and kasane

The prototype of the modern kimono is the kosode, which means "small sleeve. To be precise, a kosode is a garment with small openings for the sleeves, and its origins can be traced back to the middle of the Heian Period (10th century), when it was used as everyday attire for commoners and as undergarments for the nobility of the Imperial Court. The attire of the women of the Imperial family in the Heian period had more layers, and they carefully matched the colors of each layer. The cuffs of kasane generally have a larger opening compared to kosode.

When you think of traditional Japanese clothing, you think of the Japanese kimono with its thousands of colors, loose and slender, elegant and colorful. All Japanese traditional customs, such as the tea ceremony, flower arrangement, calligraphy, festivals, ceramics, ancient poems, and even writing, are more or less influenced by ancient China, and the kimono is no exception.

The history of the kimono is about 1,000 years old. The introduction of Chinese clothing into Japan, which has been documented, began in the Nara period. During the Nara period, when China was in its prime, Japan sent a large number of scholars and monks to study in China. These envoys brought back to Japan the culture, art, and legal system of the Tang Dynasty. The "Clothing Order" was one of the systems modeled after the Tang Dynasty. The "Clothing Order" regulated dresses, court dresses, and uniforms. In the Nara period, the colors of clothing were simple. In the Heian period, the colors of the clothes were diversified and the sleeves were widened due to the influence of the national style of the time.

Ancient women of that time wore a garment called "Shichi-mono," which was divided into tang, monokimono, and omotenashi (12 layers) when they went to the palace or on festivals. In the Kamakura period, when the luxury of the aristocracy ended, the clothing returned to plainness and the wide sleeves were changed back to narrow sleeves to make it easier to fight. The special emblem that entered the Muromachi period was the printing of family crests on the clothes, which were found in every family in ancient Japan according to the family name, and the design of civilian clothes began to be dressy.

During the Momoyama period, people began to wear different styles of clothing in different places, and there were "visiting clothes" (a pattern from the left shoulder and left sleeve to the lapel and skirt) worn at wedding banquets and tea parties, as well as "sleeve dresses" worn at festivals, Bar Mitzvahs, banquets, and matchmaking events. "The Edo period is one of the most important periods in the history of Japanese clothing. The Edo period was the most prosperous period in the history of Japanese clothing, and the kimono became close to the modern era, and most of the kimonos that we see today are based on the Edo period clothing style. In the Meiji era, the kimono in the present sense was finalized.

In Japan, people still wear beautiful kimonos to attend tea ceremonies, flower ceremonies, cultural performances, festivals, and traditional festivals, adding to the atmosphere.

Japanese mothers dress their children in kimonos to bless them on Girls' Day and Boys' Day.

In Japan, on the traditional "July 5-3" holiday, children wear new kimonos and are led by their parents to visit shrines.

In Japan, on the occasion of the "Festival of Adults," girls who have reached the age of 20 dress up and put on a kimono called "Zhenri-sleeve" (振り袖ふりそで), which is reserved for unmarried women, and go to the festival in joy to show that they have come of age.

In Japanese weddings, the bride wears a kimono that symbolizes the sanctity and purity of Shiromukuri (White Immaculate Shiromukuri). On weekdays, housewives and men returning from work like to wear a kimono after bathing, which is called a "yukata kimono.

Japanese painting, theater, dance, sculpture and other arts are closely related to the kimono. For example, the beauty paintings in the ukiyo-e, the Japanese popular prints, cannot be separated from the kimono. In theater, for example, dancers express their feelings with long sleeves, sometimes with their backs to the audience, so that the audience can appreciate the beauty of the kimono costumes.

Japanese kimono, in wearing method is more complicated, pay attention to. For example, when a woman wears a kimono, she wears a petticoat, followed by a sweatshirt, followed by a long shirt, and finally a kimono. The kimono is then tied with a belt and a bag. When wearing a kimono, you tend to go barefoot or wear cloth socks underneath, and when you go out, you wear straw or wooden shoes. Japanese women wear kimonos with a matching headdress.

The heyday of Japanese clothing history - the Edo period

Almost all traditional Japanese customs, such as the tea ceremony, flower arrangement, calligraphy, festivals, ceramics, brocade, ancient poems, words, and even writing, etc., were more or less influenced by ancient China, and the kimono was no exception.

The Japanese rough clothing of the ancient times, with its narrow sleeves and slanting lapels, is very similar to that worn in ancient China. However, the introduction of Chinese clothing into Japan and its institutionalization is documented as having begun in the Nara period.

The Nara period coincided with the Tang Dynasty, when Japan sent a large number of scholars and monks to study in China. These envoys brought back to Japan the culture, art, and legal system of the Tang Dynasty. The "Clothing Order" was one of the systems modeled after the Tang Dynasty during the Nara period. The "Clothing Order" regulated the dress, court dress and uniform. The court dress, including the crown and hat, was differentiated according to the rank of the official. Uniforms were the clothes of unofficial civil servants, and were categorized according to their professions. The colors of Nara-era clothing were simpler.

During the Heian Period (after the ninth century), clothes began to diversify in color and the sleeves became wider due to the influence of the national style of the time. In the Kamakura period, the Yuan dynasty unified China, and it was feared that the influence of the Yuan dynasty, which had consecutively submerged Japan for ten times, made it easier to fight, so the clothing returned to plainness, and the wide sleeves were changed back to narrow sleeves.

Printed on the clothes of the family pattern, ancient Japan according to the family name of each family has a family pattern, it is estimated that the number of family pattern more than 20,000 kinds (this site will be featured later on the family pattern), the design of civilian clothes began to dress, is to enter the Muromachi era characteristics. In the Momoyama period (mid-16th century), people began to wear different styles of clothing for different occasions, and "visiting clothes" for wedding banquets and tea ceremonies, as well as "sleeves" for various festivals, Bar Mitzvahs, banquets, and blind dates, were introduced.

The Edo period was the most prosperous period in the history of Japanese clothing, and most of the kimonos that we see today are a continuation of the Edo period clothing style.