The traditional Japanese garment is the kimono, which is associated with a number of little mysteries. Japanese folk may not think the kimono is something mysterious, but they would be surprised to find out the trivia associated with it.
Below, we take a look at the mysteries in the form of questions scroll down to the end of the article for the corresponding explanations. So you want to buy a kimono? You can, however, pick up a secondhand one at a much more affordable price. However, rarely, if ever, do you see men wearing formal kimonos on the streets of Tokyo.
If you want to see the female form in kimono, you'll also find this at the theatre. Not only do the actors dress in kimono, but roughly 20 percent of theatregoers attend in traditional garb. Another option is to visit a fine-dining establishment and have a geisha entertain your party. For a far more convenient --and free--option, you could spy on a wedding. Weddings in Japan are often held on specific dates believed to be auspicious. These days, known as taian, usually occur once every six days.
Hence, if you play your cards right, you should be able to find a bride at a hotel every six days or so. Confusing, no? Few Japanese people even know the whys and wherefores behind this calendrical cycle. Now this was increasingly emphasised via appearance. The kimono as featured in traditional woodblock print art courtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Samurai women led exceedingly restricted and structured lives which included a strict adherence to dress codes based around season, events and the time of day.
As Western nobility and Royalty would have an elaborate ensemble for every occasion, so the samurai women would have a richly embroidered and printed kimono for theirs.
Despite being prolific consumers of sumptuous kimono, samurai women were rarely innovators. Instead it was the newly wealthy merchant class who, unable to enhance their social status due to the strict hierarchical nature of society, chose to show off their style and confidence via their dress.
This increasingly fashion-conscious society had its own taste-makers in the form of kabuki actors and courtesans. Their latest stylistic innovation would be disseminated via inexpensive woodblock prints to an eager public keen to emulate their idols. The kimono may not have had the symbolic value it later acquired but it was intended to act as a signifier of status.
When the merchant classes appeared to be getting above their station, the ruling elite would issue sumptuary laws. The kimono plays an integral role in Japanese society credit: Getty Images. Although not strictly enforced and often ignored, these rules proved the catalyst for subversive developments in kimono fashion which enabled the wearer to subtly convey their wealth and discernment.
When the sumptuary laws were more rigidly upheld in the late 18th and early 19th Century, the women who epitomised this chic, understated style known as iki were the geisha.
Forbidden from competing with the courtesans, they had honed the art of restrained elegance. A fact which will undoubtedly surprise those more familiar with the flamboyant styles they later adopted. In the turmoil that followed, the new Emperor Mutsuhito brought the rule of the military elite to an end and swept the old feudal system away.
Although the Emperor and his court, including some high-ranking women, initially adapted Western dress, by the s there was something of a kimono renaissance.
This was part of a broader resurgent of nationalism resulting from growing political, economic and military confidence. While striving to show itself as equal to the West, Japan also wanted to emphasise its unique cultural heritage. There seemed to be no better way for this than through refined, demure women wearing kimono.
The repeal of the sumptuary laws combined with new dying techniques and materials made innovative, exciting kimonos available to a larger clientele than ever before. It is thought that this is when the traditional Japanese colour combinations were first experimented with; the colours were based on seasons, gender or sometimes on political and family ties.
The art of kimono-making grew into a specialised craft during the Edo Period , and some kimonos were literal works of art and could cost more than a family home. People would keep their kimonos and pass them down to the family. Kimonos were popular for many reasons, mainly for being versatile. They could easily be layered or altered to suit any season. Heavy silk kimonos could be worn in the fall and winter, while the light linen and cotton kimono, known as a yukata , could be worn in summer.
The yukata is still commonly worn during seasonal summer festivals and fireworks displays miyabi. Eventually, however, the complexity of kimono-wearing and the cumbersome sandals they required became a hindrance. The kimono fell out of fashion during the Meiji Period , when the government encouraged people to adopt Western clothing styles. Though kimonos are often handed down through generations, the garment can be extremely expensive, sometimes costing several hundred pounds.
This is because it is traditionally made of costly materials such as silk and linen, but also because its seams and edges must be finished by hand. While kimonos appeal to fashionistas around the world, in Japan they are closely linked with manners and can reflect the formality of an occasion.
Wearing the appropriate garment for the right event is a way of conveying respect and gratitude. Kimonos should also always be worn with the left side over the right: only a dead body dressed for burial should wear the right over left. Though kimonos are indelibly linked with tradition in Japan , they have more recently become a cult fashion item around the globe.
This coincided with a renewed interest in Japanese culture worldwide in the late s.
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