What is the structure of a kimono?

What is the structure of a kimono?

Kimonos are complicated, but the rich Japanese characteristics cannot be ignored. So do you know what the structure of a kimono is? Here is me Let’s take a look at the structure of the kimono we shared.

The structure of the kimono

1. Kakejin (かけえり), ***kin (ともえり)

2. Honjin (ほんえり), 地衿(じえり)

3. The right front body (まえみごろ)

4. The left front body

5. Sleeve (そで )

6. 袂(たもと)

7. Left の衽(おくみ)

8. Right の衽

9 .剣前(けんさき)

　10. Body length (みたけ)

11. Leg length (ゆきたけ)

12. Shoulder width (かたはば)

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13. Sleeve width (そではば)

14. Sleeve length (そでたけ)

15. Sleeve cuffs (そでぐち)

16. Sodetsu (そでつけ)

The history of kimono

According to legend, there was Izanagi, the god of life in Japan’s theocratic era. When doing things such as praying for blessings after disaster, they often take off their tops, hakama, and girdle, and expose their bodies. According to the research of later generations, the theocratic era described in the legend is equivalent to Japan's primitive society period. Thousands of ruins of Japanese life in that era have been discovered. Their distribution area ranges from Hokkaido in the north to Kyushu in the south, almost all over Japan. The Japanese in primitive society lived a migratory life in groups, and their main production activities were hunting and gathering (don’t always think of the imperial era). Perhaps it was during that era that the Japanese began to process animal fur or leaves to keep out the cold, stepping out of the era of nudity. In the late Jomon-style culture period (Japan's Neolithic Age, equivalent to 800-500 BC) and the Yayoi-style culture period (the era when Japan used Yayoi-style pottery, equivalent to 300-300 BC), two kinds of Basic clothing styles. One is a pullover-style round-neck sweater, which is similar in shape to today's round-neck knitted pullover; the other is a double-breasted style, with the left placket used from the collar tip to the waist, and the two ends are tied with thin ropes at equal intervals. The sleeves are cylindrical and the length is above the knee. Matching the blouse are hakama, scarf and Yusubi. Hakama originally refers to a kind of crotch cloth worn on the lower body to cover the top, but the hakama here refers to bottoms similar to pants with legs connected. Men have a kind of loincloth called Shang. The loincloth is tied around the top. Due to the pleats appearing in the knot, the clothing has undergone some changes. Most women wear Shang Shang. Unlike men, women's Shang Shang is floor-length, and its form is quite similar to the "Qima" skirt of today's Korean women.

Scarves are generally hung on the shoulders as a decoration. The form of hanging is not limited and is usually determined by personal preferences. In production work, scarves are often used as straps to tie long sleeves, or as a substitute for wrapping cloth. On parting occasions, people wave scarves to show their reluctance to leave. It has the same effect as waving handkerchiefs that became popular in the Meiji era to express farewell. Usubi is a ribbon-like fabric that is larger and longer than a scarf, covering the head and hanging around the waist. In ancient Japan, women were taboo about having their faces peeked at by men, so they used to wear masks.

According to documents such as "Kojiki", "Nihon Shoki", "Uekrin Atlas", "Old Sayings" and other documents, the clothing of Japan's late Jomon culture period and Yayoi culture period has been adopted It is made of plant fiber materials such as Pu cloth, linen cloth, cotton cloth, rattan cloth, and Kobu, and the belt is made of Japanese cloth. The emergence of clothing materials is shrouded in the halo of myths, such as the Vulture God of Tianri cutting Chu weaving cloth, and the White Feather God of Richang creating his own linen for the benefit of the people.

Dyeing was already relatively common at that time. According to the records of Emperor Keiyuki in "Oshenki", common people already knew to use madder to dye red, indigo to dye blue, acorns to dye yellow, acorns to dye black, and purple roots to dye acorns. Dye purple. Most of the dyed fabrics have no lines, and occasionally there are some prints, which are usually done by directly using leaves, flowers and grass to rub the prints. The plants used include moon grass, swallow grass, hazel, mountain blue, honeysuckle, etc.

1. Nara Period: The coarse cloth clothing of ancient Japan, with narrow sleeves and slanted front, is very similar to ancient Chinese clothing. However, there are actual written records that the introduction of Chinese clothing to Japan and the institutionalization of it should have begun in the Nara period. Japan's Nara period coincided with China's prosperous Tang Dynasty. Japan sent a large number of scholars and monks to study in China. These envoys to the Tang Dynasty brought back to Japan the culture, art, and laws and regulations of the Tang Dynasty - the "Clothes Order" was one of the systems established in the Nara period to imitate the Tang Dynasty. The "Clothing Order" stipulates formal attire, court attire and uniforms - court attire includes crowns and hats, classified by official rank; uniforms are the clothing of public servants without official positions, classified by industry. Generally speaking, the clothing colors of the Nara period were relatively simple. Heian period: In the Heian period (after the ninth century), due to the prevalence of national style, Japanese kimonos gradually got rid of foreign influences and developed unique features of luxury, beauty and sophistication. The colors of their clothes began to diversify, and their sleeves became wider. direction development. For example, those who are familiar with Japanese history must have heard of "Tang Yi" and "Twelve Singles".

Tangyi is a kind of dress, with purple and crimson as the most precious colors, resplendent and extremely beautiful. Twelve singles is actually a way of dressing. It is not twelve layers of single clothes, but twelve layers of clothing called kui. The kui is light and transparent. When multiple layers of kui are stacked, you can still vaguely see the single clothes or The colors on the surface add to the hazy beauty. From here we can also get a glimpse of Japanese aesthetics, which not only like abstract beauty, but also like the beauty of the natural world that is truly and meticulously reflected.

2. Kamakura Period: Due to excessive corruption and extravagance, the rule of the public officials finally declined. During the Kamakura period, a relatively lean and simple samurai culture emerged, and the characteristics of this era were also reflected in clothing. At that time, the Yuan Dynasty unified China and invaded Japan ten times in a row: In order to facilitate the war, the Japanese returned to simple clothing and changed their wide sleeves back to narrow sleeves.

3. Muromachi period: In the Muromachi period, family crests were printed on clothes (in ancient Japan, every family had a family crest according to their surname, and it is estimated that the number of family crests exceeded 20,000), and the design of casual clothes began to become formalized. Straight and black hats are fashionable men's clothing and are very popular. Women's clothing, on the other hand, is moving towards simplicity.

4. Momoyama Period: During the Azuchi and Momoyama periods of Oda Nobunaga (mid-16th century), people began to pay attention to wearing different clothes in different places, so the "visit clothes" worn when attending wedding banquets and tea parties appeared. "dress with sleeves" and "dress with sleeves" worn when participating in various celebrations, adult festivals, banquets, and blind dates. It is popular for women to wear small sleeves: although beautiful, they are still crude compared to Tang Yi and the like. During this period, "Noh" with its distinctive folk character gradually took shape, and gorgeous and luxurious "Noh" costumes appeared. At this time, there were no major changes in the costumes of the ministers. They were basically a continuation of the court costumes from the Heian period. The final integration of the ministers and the samurai was in the Meiji period, which is a story later.

5. Edo Period: The Edo Period was the most prosperous period in the history of Japanese clothing. At that time, although men's and women's clothing changed, (for example, the shape of the small sleeves of women's clothing became closer to modern times, while haori was popular in men's clothing. , the obi knot became popular) However, the basic pattern was set. By the Meiji era, the current sense of kimono was finalized, and it has not changed much since then. Most of the kimonos we see today follow the special clothing styles of the Edo period.

Types of kimonos

There are many types of kimonos, not only for men and women, unmarried and married, but also for casual and formal wear. Men's kimonos have fewer styles, are more monotonous in color, mostly dark, have thin belts and are easy to wear. Women's kimonos come in a variety of styles, with bright colors and wide belts. Different kimono belts are knotted in different ways and must be matched with different hairstyles. Married women usually wear "furisode" kimonos, while unmarried women usually wear "furisode" kimonos. In addition, the pattern, color, style, etc. of wearing a kimono also vary depending on the purpose of going out, such as visiting, playing, shopping, etc.

1. Tomisode kimono: The dress worn by women when attending relatives’ weddings and formal ceremonies, etc., is mainly divided into black tomesode and colored tomesode. With black as the background color, dyed with five patterns, and patterns printed on both ends of the hem of the front body of the kimono, it is called "Kurotome" and is used by married women; fabrics of other colors have three or one pattern printed on them, and the hem Those with patterns are called "color sleeves".

2. Furisode: Also known as long-sleeved dress, it is the first dress for girls. According to the length of the sleeves, it is divided into "large furisode", "medium furisode" and "small furisode". Among them, wearing The one that gets the most is "Naka ??Furisode". Mainly used for adult ceremonies, graduation ceremonies, banquets, evening parties, visiting friends and other occasions. Because this kind of kimono gives people a sense of fashion, more and more married women wear "naka furisode".

3. Visiting kimono: It is a kimono dyed with a pattern on the whole. It unfolds from the hem, left front sleeve, left shoulder to collar to form a picture. In recent years, as the most popular simple dress, visiting kimono is large popular. It can be worn at school opening ceremonies, friends’ banquets, evening parties, tea parties and other occasions, and there is no age or marital limit.

4. Small pattern kimono: The clothes are dyed with small patterns. Because it is suitable for practicing wearing, it is generally used as daily fashionable clothing and can often be seen on dates and shopping occasions. Komon kimono is also a dress used by young women for semi-formal evening events.

5. Mourning clothes: all black including the belt, worn during funerals.

6. Wedding dress: the dress worn when getting married.

7. Yukata: worn before bathing.

8. Men’s kimono: Men’s kimono is a formal attire with a coat and skirt dyed with patterns. In addition to black, other patterned coats and skirts are only used as simple costumes and can be matched with any outfit.

9. Plain kimono: This is a single-color kimono (except black). If it is dyed with patterns, it can be used as a dress. If there is no pattern, it can be used as daily wear.

10. "Fushita" kimono: a general term for kimonos where the sleeves, front and back body, and collar patterns are all printed and dyed from the bottom up. Lighter and more comfortable than visiting kimono.

11. Twelve singles: じゅうにひとえ

Twelve singles are the court clothes worn by high-ranking female officials above the rank of wife in Japan during the Heian period. However, since women in the Heian period rarely had the opportunity to appear in public, the women in the harem wore haori or small haori on weekdays, and wore Sang and Tangyi on more formal occasions.

The twelve single clothes are composed of Tang Yi, Shang, top, Dayi, gao (five clothes) and single clothes (of course, small sleeves must be worn under the single clothes). At the end of the Heian period, rituals, skirts, hair knots, crowns, etc. were added, which can be regarded as preserving the customs of the Nara period. The Tang Yi is the outermost short coat and can be worn by the queen and up to three or more court attendants. In terms of colors, red, purple and green are forbidden colors, and only three or more people with permission can wear them. In addition, Tangyi has many colors, including red plum, cherry, willow, forest road, wheat dust and so on. These beautiful colors are intertwined and set off each other, creating a gorgeous visual effect together with the tortoise shell, phoenix, chrysanthemum, peony and other patterns embroidered on it.

Sō is a long skirt (similar to a male tunic) worn around the waist of adult women in formal wear during the Heian Dynasty. Looking at its origin, it is believed to be the result of Japan learning Chinese culture during the Nara period. Shang is made of bright fabrics and can be divided into three parts: large waist, small waist and extended waist. The back is a "big waist" from the waist down. The part of the pleated skirt made of eight long pieces of cloth that extends behind the back and drags on the floor is called the "extended waist". The part tied around the waist is tied with a cloth belt. It's called "small waist." The texture of the clothes is mostly damask or gauze, the colors include purple silk, white, autumn green, etc., and the patterns include state shore, waves, flowers and birds, small Matsubara, etc.

The Japanese word for the top is "うえのきぬ". It is designed with a dropped collar and wide sleeves. It is the first layer of outer clothing under the Tang Yi and is also the outer robe of the outer garment. Therefore, the style is Very gorgeous. In terms of embroidery, the double weaving method is used with relief patterns covering ground patterns. The colors are mostly red or cute yellow, and the patterns include standing waves, creeping grass, etc. In addition, the back train is also lined with cotton, making it a very gorgeous garment.

The earliest function of the jacket worn under the coat was to keep out the cold. Its original name was "board jacket" (this is because the luster on the jacket was revealed by beating it with an anvil). Since the color of the clothes is mostly red, they are also called "red clothes". Its patterns are mostly rhombus or melon-shaped, and are also decorated with family patterns.

Between the top layer of clothing and the single layer of clothing, one layer of five layers of clothing must be worn. This is a garment made of five layers of thin shirts of different colors. Its name is derived from the meaning of "five different colors" (however, the five clothes were originally five clothes of the same color). In the middle and late Heian period, for the sake of convenience, the five-shirts were simplified and the customization of the five-shirts was cancelled. Instead, five layers of fabric were overlapping and sewn on the collar and back hem of the same shirt to achieve the original layer colors. Effect.

Single clothing is the underwear among the twelve single tops. Although its shape is the same as that of Wuyi and top, the sleeves and length are slightly longer. The texture is mostly damask or silk, the color is red or green, and the patterns include flower rhombus and so on.

The hakama worn with the top is called hakama, also known as outer hakama or long hakama. The hakama color is mostly red, with unmarried girls choosing a thick color and married women using a thin red color. The texture was originally flat silk, but later it was gradually changed to silk. In modern times, hakama has been divided into long hakama with pleats and outer hakama without pleats.

Finally, I would like to introduce the accessories of women’s room attire: the fan. It is made of fir or cypress, covered with tissue paper, painted, and foiled with gold and silver. It is a very gorgeous fan.

Like all ceremonial clothing, twelve singles are more of a status symbol! However, "twelve" does not mean there are twelve layers, but many layers, which is very luxurious. , meaning extremely luxurious.

The "Twelve Single Clothes" first evolved from the Tang Dynasty clothes. After adjusting the length of the front and rear trains, they had a strong Japanese style.

The so-called "single" in "Twelve Singles" means undershirts. If there are eight overlapping "coats", it is called "Hachi-dan", if there are ten, it is "Ten-dan", and if there are 12, it is "Twelve-dan".

In fact, the "five clothes", "shirts", "external clothes", and "Tangyi" were put on one by one. In the end, there were only eight layers. The clothes (similar to skirts) Pants, skirts) are only nine layers included in the count, not twelve layers.

The other twelve singles are common names, and the official name is Wuyi Tang Yishang Costume or Women's Room Costume. This name was first seen in "The Rise and Fall of Genpei", which describes the twelve singles in Jianlimon Courtyard that were thrown into the sea, and then Only the twelve single clothes are called. Nowadays in Japan, except for tourist attractions or theatrical performances, twelve undressed clothes rarely appear anymore. The Japanese royal family and nobles only wear twelve separate clothes during important ceremonies. Although the Twelve Single Clothes are partly influenced by the costumes of the Tang Dynasty in China, in any case, it actually has its own system. It is an expression of the Japanese style of the Heian period.

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The attire of the Heian period has great classical and artistic value. Even today, the royal family still wears plain attire in important events, and its influence is not limited to the royal family. , even folk festivals, Shinto and so on.

The following are the subdivisions of kimonos

Furisode sleeves are visited by the small pattern (こもん), the colorless ground Tsumugi (つむぎ), the ウール衣アンサンブルdressing yukata (ゆかた), and the haori (は おり) 道行コート(みちゆきこーと) 袴(ひふ) 袴(はかま) 昴(うちかけ) 正素(ひたたれ) 大目(だいもん) prim Jacket (すおう) Jacket (かみしも) Peace Outfits (そくたい) Straight clothes (のうし) Hunting clothes (かりぎぬ) Twelve 単 (じゅうにひとえ) 袿 (うちき) Slender (ほそなが) Kappo (かっぽうぎ) もんぺ Jinbei(じんべい) Work clothes(さむえ) Tanzen (たんぜん)

Accessories

Japanese umbrella turban ショール褢ステテコ half-banded bandana bag band Nagoya band half band corner band bandwagon (へこおび) Yangげ帯板( おびいた) 帯簯め帯尯狠簪(かんざし) 栉(くし) 瀹ひもFan ハンドバッグ雪駄(せった) 下駄草苄 footbag hand armor and foot hoop(きゃはん) 褌(ふんどし) 荳文(ゆもじ) 畳paper( たとうがみ) 搐paper;