History and Techniques of the Kimono Makoto Mori Edited by Pip Dickens
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
10.5920/shibusa.08 117 Chapter Eight History and techniques of the kimono Makoto Mori Edited by Pip Dickens History of the kimono The original meaning of the word ‘kimono’ is ‘clothing’, although today it is often translated as ‘something to wear’. In modern-day Japan the term also often refers to traditional Japanese clothing in general. Although the history of Japanese clothing prior to the Nara period (710–94) is not known in great detail, during the Heian period (794–1185) there are records that describe the clothing of the day. Here we find evidence of the origin of the contemporary kimono in the kosode, which was originally worn by the aristocracy as an undergarment. The kosode is a garment with a body, sleeves and a pair of collars that drape from both shoulders and cross over each other in front of the chest. Kosode means ‘small cuffs’;1 another type of clothing worn prior to the kosode had a larger cuff opening – as wide as the length of the sleeves – and was called osode (see Figures 8.1, 8.2). Clothes for the nobility during the Heian period had smaller cuffed openings in order to keep the body warm, so the kosode became a popular undergarment for the nobility from the end of the tenth century through to the beginning of the eleventh century.2 The kosode became popular with aristocrats as an outer garment from the latter period of the Heian period to the beginning of the Kamakura period (1185– Figure 8.1 The kosode (top) and osode (bottom) were 1333), and many nobles wore a kosode classified by the size of the cuff. tailored from gorgeous cloth. A samurai’s daily clothing (or formal public clothing) since the Heian period was a tube- shaped single costume called teboso, which period (1185–1333) samurai began to call the was very similar in shape to the nobility’s teboso garment kosode. Later, kimonos worn kosode undergarment.3 In the Kamakura by the general public also began to be referred 10.5920/shibusa.08 118 Shibusa Extracting Beauty Figure 8.2 The figure on the left wears a kosode; the figure on the right wears an osode. The kosode is worn under the osode. Detail from The Illustrated Tale of the Heiji Civil War, ‘The Imperial Visit to Rokuhara’, Kamakura period (thirteenth century), © Tokyo National Museum to as kosode because of the similarity of their became larger, although the cuff width shape. Ordinary people’s teboso had a white remained almost the same. By the Momoyama ground without a pattern and were worn as period (1568–1603) the kosode shape had outer garments. Occasionally, plain or easy tie- evolved into a configuration similar to the dyeing was applied, but there were often bans modern kimono. We also know that the word on decoration of any kind. ‘kimono’ had become synonymous with From the late Muromachi period (1336– kosode; for example, it is used in a report by 1573) to the Momoyama period (1568–1603) the Portuguese missionary Joao Rodrigues, the kosode developed further, with direct who came to Japan in around 1577.4 We can similarities to today’s kimonos. During this assume, therefore, that people began to use the time Japan was often engaged in intensive word ‘kimono’ to mean not only clothing in warfare (both feudal and with the Mongols), general, but to refer specifically to the kosode. which led to a general shortage of textiles and As economic prosperity increased during clothing. As a result, the simple kosode was the Muromachi and Momoyama eras, and adopted as the formal outerwear among through to the Edo period (1603–1868), samurai in the ascending class. Its smaller female apparel became more decorative, sleeves were also more practicable for physical thanks to the relatively peaceful and movement. Thus the kosode became common prosperous social conditions. Patterns on throughout society, and not merely the clothes became larger, and loose clothes with exclusive garment of the nobility. longer sleeves, or length, became popular (see During the Heian period (794–1185), the Figure 8.3). Despite the Edo shogunate often narrow tube-shaped sleeves of the kosode prohibiting the wearing of this kind of 10.5920/shibusa.08 clothing, the advent of bolder patterns and 119 History and techniques of the kimono highly innovative yuzen techniques (hand- applied decoration of textiles, described below) heralded an explosion in kimono design. The Edo period represents the pinnacle of traditional kimono design (see Figures 8.4 and 8.5), and many modern designs are influenced by kimonos from this period. From the Meiji period (1868–1912), Japanese leaders encouraged people to adopt Western style dress in order to demonstrate Makoto Mori Japan’s alignment with the modernising movement that was taking place in Europe and the USA. During this period, Japan’s leaders were either nobility or daimyo (feudal lords) and still tended to wear the osode. However, the ‘modernisation’ policy impacted dramatically on Japanese dress and gradually the meaning of terms such as osode and kosode evaporated. It was from this period onwards that the most commonly used term to Figure 8.3 Kosode from the sixteenth century, showing describe such clothing was generally characteristic elements of the Momoyama period, both acknowledged as ‘kimono’ (see Figure 8.6). in the skilful manipulation of small-pattern repeats, and At the beginning of the Showa period the wide body and narrow sleeve construction. Portraits (1926–89), both Western-style dress and and other paintings of the day provide evidence that kosode such as this were worn on formal occasions as traditional Japanese clothes were worn by the the outermost robes of high-ranking warrior-class general public. The popularity of Western-style women.© Kyoto National Museum Figure 8.4 Clothes worn at the beginning of the Edo period are evident in this picture. The kosode shape has evolved to what is very similar to the modern kimono. However, the obi is thinner and the sleeves are smaller. Detail from Kano Naganobu, Merrymaking Under the Cherry Blossoms, Azuchi-Momoyama-Edo period (seventeenth century), © Tokyo National Museum 10.5920/shibusa.08 120 Shibusa Extracting Beauty Figure 8.5 In the peaceful and economically stable social conditions of the Edo period, female apparel became more decorative. The furi-sode (long- sleeved kimono) is an example. It is thought that the purpose of its long, fully open sleeves was originally to regulate the temperature of children, but the flowing design also became popular with women for decorative rather than practical reasons. As a result, these long-sleeved characteristics have become associated with the expression of love by the female wearer. Hishikawa Moronobu, Beauty Looking Back, Edo period (seventeenth century), © Tokyo National Museum 10.5920/shibusa.08 121 History and techniques of the kimono Late Muromachi period to Momoyama period: The kosode is adapted as the daily outerwear in the ascending class. It is designed to Heian period: The have smaller kosode is worn under sleeves and to suit noblemen’s clothes. physical activity. Makoto Mori Early mid-Edo Early Edo period: period: The garment The kosode is becomes more adopted as the daily luxurious. The obi is formal outerwear in wider and the sleeves the ascending are longer. The classes. The sleeve pattern is less bold, is round and the so that the wide obi obi (sash) is thin. breaks up the overall Garments of this design. The sleeves period feature a become squarer bold pattern design. in shape. Late mid-Edo period: Female garments become more decorative. Late Edo period: The patterns The design of the become larger kosode is much more and the garment is understated and generally more loose simple, whereas the fitting. The sleeves undergarments are are also longer. lavishly decorated. Meiji period to Showa period: The design of the kimono becomes more spectacular, with a wider range Contemporary: and combination of The kimono is colour made possible now mostly worn by the introduction at traditional events of chemical dyes. and as formal wear. Figure 8.6 The transition from kosode to kimono. Illustrations © Misa Sato 10.5920/shibusa.08 122 Shibusa dress increased in line with Japan’s economic particularly important when using many growth, and became the formal preference in colours or creating complicated patterns with Extracting Beauty the workplace. Fewer women were able to put many colours. While there was already a on the kimono unassisted, and its appearance traditional practice of using glue as a resist- became rare by the mid-1950s. However, dyeing technique, yuzen-zome improved upon the kimono was still popular attire at this and was seminal in the expansion of traditional events, celebrations and as elaborate kimono design.6 general leisure wear. No predetermined pattern was used when the process of yuzen-zome first began. Instead, History of Kyo-yuzen the outline of a drawing on the fabric was made, using a piping implement and a starch Some of the most popular kimonos are those called itome nori.7 Colours were painted inside utilising Kyo-yuzen technique – a method of the itome nori outline with a brush, dyeing kimono, which developed in the Edo and were then fixed. The next step was to put period (1603–1868). Kyo-yuzen means a thick layer of starch called fuse nori on the specifically yuzen-zome dyed in the city of coloured design to protect it from bleeding. Kyoto – a yuzen pattern for a kimono dyed in Then the background colours were applied. Kyoto. The production methods can be After washing and drying to remove the roughly classified into four types: tegaki yuzen, starch, the itome nori outline was revealed as katazome, machine printing and inkjet textile perfect white lines of regular width that printing.