What is Kimono

Kimono (わふく, wafuku), the original meaning of the Japanese word is "a general term for clothing", but later came to refer exclusively to its traditional clothing. Because the Japanese are the Yamato people. The opposite of this word is yokai.

The kimono is divided into men's, women's, children's, singlet, and jacket, and there are types of kimono, such as the "outer robe" and the "lower robe". Kimono length is generally ankle length, cross-collar, right lapel, wide-sleeved, stay body eight mouth, up and down without buttons and no loop, tie the belt, clothing printed with the family crest.

Kimono: In European languages such as English, the kimono is called Kimono, and in Japanese it is 着物. Kimono refers to all clothing in a broad sense. In a narrower sense, kimono refers to kimono and traditional Japanese clothing.

Kimono (わふく): Traditional Japanese clothing, now worn for formal occasions. It is worn for New Year's celebrations, coming-of-age ceremonies, and Japanese weddings. (As I understand it, the Chinese misinterpret the kimono and know it basically as a yukata.) It has been condemned as an impractical style of dress because of its cumbersome nature, but it has the advantage of giving the wearer an elegant demeanor.

Wu Clothing: The meaning of cloth. In ancient China, during the Three Kingdoms period, the textile technology and sewing methods of Wu were passed down to the Japanese afterlife memorial language, usually Wu clothing refers exclusively to high-class kimono made of silk, while kimono made of cotton is called Tai-thing (ふともの).

How did the kimono come about? What is the origin of kimono?

There are men's, women's, and children's kimonos, and there are monokimono and kimono, and there are types of kimono, such as "kimono" (outer robe) and "kimono" (inner robe). Kimono length is generally ankle-length, cross-collar, right lapel, wide-sleeved, stay body eight mouth, up and down without buttons and no loop, tie the obi, clothing printed with the family crest.

Japanese traditional clothing, now worn on formal occasions. New Year's celebrations, coming-of-age ceremonies, and Japanese weddings require the designation of the dress to be worn. (As I understand it, Chinese people misunderstand kimono and know it basically as a bathrobe.) It has been condemned as an impractical style of dress because of its cumbersomeness, but it has the advantage of giving elegance to the wearer.

Before the Edo period, the word "bath" in kimono meant "hot water", and at that time, people called kimono "Yukatabira". Yukatabira refers to a single garment, i.e., a garment to be worn alone. In ancient times, baths were basically steam baths, much like saunas today. People wore yukatabira in order to protect themselves from being burned by the walls and pillars. The name "kimono" was first introduced in the Edo period.

Later, people gradually changed the form of bathing, and instead of wearing clothes, they immersed themselves in hot water. The kimono became a simple item of clothing to wear after bathing, and has continued to be worn as a summer leisure item that reflects one's personal taste. In terms of price it is very different from the kimono that really attends the party, which is usually around 100,000 yen, while the average kimono costs at least 1 million.

The first Japanese clothes were women's clothes called "kanji" and men's clothes called "yokozuna". The so-called "kanburi" was a primitive but practical way to dig a hole in the cloth, put it over the head, and then tie the cloth under the armpits with straps, and then put on a skirt-like undergarment.

The so-called "yokozuna" is an uncut cloth worn around the body, exposing the right shoulder like a monk's surplice.

The Japanese kimono was gradually developed on this basis. There are various images of kimonos on Haniwa, dolls from ancient tombs unearthed in Japan from the 7th century to the 8th century AD.

In the 8th century A.D., Chinese Tang Dynasty clothing was introduced to Japan, which had a great influence on the Japanese kimono. At that time, the names of kimono, such as "Tang grass", "Tang flower", "Tang brocade", etc., "Kantou clothes", "Kantou clothes", "Tang brocade", etc., were used in Japan. The "kanji", "yokozuna", and later "kimono" were influenced by the Chinese Tang Dynasty clothing of Southeast Asia.

Various kinds of kimono in the style and the way of wearing "the same", there are "small differences", it is these "small differences", has an important function of clothing: to show the identity, age, belong to the social class. In the case of women's kimonos, for example, these "minor differences" are mainly seen in the sleeves. The sleeves of the kimono are roughly divided into "black stay sleeve", "color stay sleeve", "Honzen sleeve", "Nakazono sleeve", etc.

The Japanese kimono has a very important function: to show the identity, age, and social class.

What is the back of the Japanese kimono?

Actually, that's not a bag, it's a knot for an obi. In the Momoyama era (1582-1600), Toyotomi Hideyoshi actively advocated overseas trade, and attracted many missionaries across the ocean to this polar island in the East. At that time, the Japanese saw the missionaries' robes were tied with a rope-like belt, very interested, have imitated, and later by the Korean traditional clothes of the wide obi shadow, only gradually evolved into today's kimono kind of bag knot obi.

At first, it was just a rope-like belt that was woven and wrapped around the body in layers. This is the origin of Nagoya and Hakata kimono. It was changed to a wide belt in the Edo period. Originally, it was only three or four centimeters wide, but it was gradually widened to the present day, when it is folded in half and wrapped around the waist. However, this way of wrapping the obi would hide the woman's circumference and turn her into a cylindrical figure with a thick upper and lower body, so women came up with the idea of tying knots on the obi and trying to keep the knots as close as possible to the breasts in order to emphasize the curves.

The knot on the kimono belt was initially the same as on all men's belts around the world, with the knot on the front and a small knot. However, the original purpose of the belt was to attract attention, so the knot got bigger and bigger, and finally so big that you couldn't see your toes, and you walked like a beer belly. Since it was not convenient to move around, Japanese women in the early Edo period made an unprecedented costume revolt by moving the knot of the obi to the back. Necklaces, brooches, and other decorative items, which are indispensable to Western women, were transformed into cords or other accessories, and were placed on the obi in front or behind the back. So don't look down on that bag, it's actually a very learned bag, and when you look at it closely, you can tell if you're from a good family or a poor one. When wearing kimono, it is also common not to wear other shiny jewelry.

What is the fabric of a kimono

The fabric of a kimono is the same as that used in the Psalms. The poem says: "Mengbi crepe linen." Crepe linen is shrinking Maine and onyx. The formal wear uses shrinking maize in the winter, sarong in the summer, and kapok in the yukata. Kimono formal wear traditionally used for the material and width (small width) of the counterparts, usually dress clothes ground for the Osho shrinkage of Maine, in order to continue the Tokugawa shank twisted dyeing vibration sleeve and Kimono Shogunate Ooku women's rites. There are also summer cloth woven on traditional looms and other traditional crafts designated by the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan, such as Kochigaya silk, Yuki silk, and Hachijo silk. The items are usually dyed, woven, and embroidered in a variety of techniques, including Edo kobo (small patterns), yuzen dyeing, kusaki-dyeing, shoban-dyeing, red-type dyeing, type-eye-dyeing, strand-type dyeing, embroidery, and gold-color dyeing. Anti-fabric follows the size of traditional fabrics of the Tang Dynasty, with a width of two inches (36 centimeters) of Tang Dashaku and a length of half a pi (about two zhang eight feet, 12 meters) for one antithesis, so it is called antithesis, and one pi for one garment, so it is called Pifu Pifu.

Kimono in accordance with the different seasons, from the type, material, pattern and even small accessories with its rules, especially the practice of tea ceremony, flower arrangement, dancing and other traditional Japanese arts, but also pay attention to the tradition of seasonal dress. There are two types of kimono: monokimono, lined kimono, and minky kimono. A lined kimono is a kimono with a lining. The minky is a silk-lined kimono. After the Dragon Boat Festival, summer clothes are changed, and lined clothes are worn from October to the beginning of May. Japanese women like to change their kimono according to the seasons with the theme of the four seasons. In the kimono in the painted pattern, spring plum, summer iris, autumn maple, winter pine and Japanese people's sense of the season is directly related.

The kimono obi is made of Nishijin fabric, Saga brocade, and Hakata weaving. Hakataori has a history of 760 years and is famous as a beautiful "dedication belt" (kimono obi), and it is said that Hakata merchant Manda Yazemon learned the technique from the Song Dynasty as the origin. "Dedication motifs are motifs in which Yayasuemon patterned Buddhist utensils, such as the Dokuro and Wakizashi dishes, which were designated as offerings to the Shogunate and called "Dedication". A unique technique was used, where a lot of fine threads were used for the vertical lines, and thick threads were used for the horizontal lines, while the vertical lines emerged to form the pattern.

What does a kimono look like and is it good looking

Types of kimono

There are many types of kimono, not only men's and women's kimono, unmarried, and married, but also casual wear and dresses. Men's kimono has fewer styles, more monotonous colors, more dark colors, and a thin belt, which makes it easy to wear. Women's kimonos come in a variety of styles and colors, with wide belts, different knots for different kimono belts, and different hairstyles. Married women tend to wear kimonos with sleeves and unmarried ladies tend to wear kimonos with sleeves. In addition, depending on the purpose of going out, such as visiting, playing, shopping, etc., the pattern, color, and style of the kimono are also different.

1. Kimono with sleeves

This is a dress worn by women to attend weddings of relatives, formal ceremonies, and ceremonies. The kimono is black with five patterns dyed on it, and there are patterns printed on the front of the kimono at both ends of the hem to indicate the use of a married woman called "Kuro Rokusai" kimono. The kimono with three or one pattern printed on the fabric of other colors and with a pattern on the hem is called "Sakurusu" kimono.

Color sleeves, black sleeves

2. Sleeve kimono

The first dress of unmarried ladies is divided into "large sleeves", "medium sleeves" and "small sleeves" according to the length of the sleeves. The one that is worn the most is the "middle sleeve". Examples include coming-of-age ceremonies, graduation ceremonies, banquets, parties, and visits to friends. Because this kimono gives a fashionable feeling, more and more married women are wearing "Nakajin-sleeve".

3. Visiting Kimono

The kimono with a patterned overall hem, left front sleeve, left shoulder, and collar that unfolds into a picture has become popular as the most popular simple dress in recent years. You can wear it for the opening ceremony of a school, a friend's party, a party, a tea party, etc., and there is no restriction of age or marriage.

4. Kotobuki kimono

Generally, it is a fashionable everyday wear with a small pattern on the whole, and it is good for practicing wear, dating, and going out for shopping. It can also be used for semi-formal parties if you are a young woman.

5. Men's Kimono

Men's Kimono is a formal dress with a patterned tunic and skirt. The patterned tunic and skirt, except for the black color, are simple dresses and can be worn as you like.