THE CLOTHING OF A HEIAN LADY, PATTERNING & CONSTRUCTION OF THE BASICS MONO NO AWARE- BEAUTY IS PRECIOUS BECAUSE IT IS BRIEF. BY: Jahan Ara amat al-Hafeeza al-Sayyidaefendi (THL) Typically, when someone asks me to make a pattern for them, I pull out my bolt of gridded fabric and either directions, photos or the actual garment to pattern and after taking a few measurements get to work! In the last five years, I have taught the basic construction of Heian Japanese costuming to people both in the SCA and outside of it. Some of this has been hands-on, via phone conference, at a coffee shop, or in classroom environments. Over the course of my teaching this, I have found that the hardest part has been visualization. Thus, much in the way Heian Ladies of Court would have created clothing for dolls, I decided that the easiest way to have examples of these robes, was to create them on the small scale. This was done both to allow them to be easily passed around in a classroom environment, for display, as well as the practicality of having examples of them easily on hand without having to arranged the transportation of the life-sized robes, many of which I do not actually have in my personal possession. Fig. 2. Court Lady, Summer (Costume Museum, http://http://www.iz2.or.jp (2011) A NOTE ON HEIAN JAPANESE DOLLS (HIINA) Based upon Chinese customs of over three thousand years ago, the celebration of the Girl‟s Festival became the height of popularity in Japan during the middle of the Heian Era. It was during this time, that the playing of dolls Hiina Asobi became popular among both young girls and women. Hiina refers to both the male and female dolls. When made they were almost always created as a pair. The dolls were dressed in the height of current fashion, often replicating the maker‟s own wardrobe and displayed until the end of February. It was believe if a young girls doll was displayed past February, that they would make a late marriage, although the dates Fig 3. “Heian Hiina Doll for this were not strictly formed until much later in Japanese Culture. The Kyoto Shimazu (Baten, 2006) They held a religious aspect as well. Many believed that if you • Sei Shonagon in “The Pillow Book” defined Hiina as „beautiful and charming objects‟. floated a stray doll down the river it will take all of your troubles with them. Mother‟s made dolls for their children and grandchildren, • In The Gossomer Years , Kagero Nikki putting their hopes and dreams in the making of them. (Murisaki) (Diary), the author goes into great depth describing how Ladies of the Court would design and sew the costumes, draw the faces and style the hair, as well as make doll houses, furniture, screens and so forth for their dolls. • Emperor Murakami (926-967), depicted the Hiina dolls in his collection of poetry. He wrote of them in a poem on the Tanabata Star Festival Day, the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar. Fig 4. The Kyoto Costume Museum‟s Display of a Section of “The Tale of “He ordered her a beautiful doll’s house , and played Genji” Is done on small scale using dolls fashion as they would have been with her different and amusing games.” in the Heian Era. (Photo, Courtesy of Costume Museum, Kyoto, Inc.) Tale of Genji, Muraskai Shikibu The layers that could be in a Juni-Hitoe varied depending on not only the time of year, but on the year its self. Juni-hitoe translates as ―12 layers, but the name is misleading. Juni-hitoe refers to the internal layers dressed between the hitoe (chemise) and the ko-uchiki or uwagi (both being outer dress robes). (Harvey, 2001). Before the sumptuary law of 1074 limited the number of these many colored layers to five robes plus the robes of state (uwagi, karaginu & mo), noble women wore as many as 40 uchiki under the outer robes depending on the season and the traditional scheme for the day per kasane no irome. (Harvey, 2001; Dalby, 2001). Because making these robes can be prohibitively expensive as there are so many layers, I generally start people off with either Summer Wear, or Courtesan Costumes. These are limited in layers; one to two layers for Summer Wear (unlined) and two - four layers for Courtesan (one Fig 5. Court Lady In Late Summer ware, hitoe, one unlined, one lined robe). unlined robes. (Costume Museum Institute, Kyoto, (2008) Fig 6. Courtesan, lined robes. (Costume Museum Institute, Kyoto, (2008) Patterning the Japanese Lady‟s Noble Court Dress With Japanese, the numbers are somewhat ambiguous and thus patterns are limited in availability. That is not to say that you can not make a pattern. Many do. However, in teaching this, I have found that due to both the varying sizes of people today, as well as the varying width of fabrics used, it has worked better to give the basic construction concepts and let everyone create a pattern for themselves. I can, if needed, custom patterns for those who ask. For a kosode, even in our current modern era (take a look at the modern Kimono) the design is based on the width of the fabric. Historically, in fact, it was based on the width of the looms. During the Heian Era (794-1192) the looms produced fabric in the range of 12” to 14” although they did produce 16” to 18” for specialty fabrics. (Minnich, 1963) It is always good to start at the basics. The purpose of this class is to show you that you can take very basic techniques and create spectacular Japanese Costumes. We will also demonstrate just how very little has changed in these basics over time. Glossary Worn by both men and women, the Kosode most often in terms of articles of clothing refers to the main undergarment. It is part of 小袖 Kosode – small sleeves the “Hitoe”, the term used to refer to the individual bottom layer of 袖 Sode - sleeves the dress as well as the hakama and kosode. (Dalby, 2001) 襟 Eri - collar 身頃 Migoro - body panels The Kosode is worn tucked into Hakama (pants) and is the closest to the skin. 袵 Okumi - overlap panels During the Heian era, a Kosode for women would most 袴 Hakama – pants often be white or madder red. Men‟s were traditionally Naga-Bakama – long pants white. (Stevens, 1996) Hitoe – Chemise layer, over kodosde & Hakama The layer that was referred to solely as kosode, and not given any Uchiki – lined & unlined Robes other name, was the Heian woman‟s undergarment. It was a shorter, small sleeved robe worn against the skin. It came down to just below the knees, with the hakama or nagabakama wrapped over it. It was barely visible under the other layers. Kosode: “Small Sleeves” Unlike the rest of the layers (the osode), the sleeves of the kosode are more tube like, and were sometimes sewn upward, curving slightly in order to hold in body warmth (Stevens, 1996, p137) . The basic pattern of the kosode and osode was generally identical, although the kosode was shorter, has smaller sleeves, and often noted to be more narrow and closefitting all together. In the Juni-Hitoe (the basic garment worn by a Heian Noble Woman, the osode had a variety of names. The Hitoe is the Heian equivalent of a Chemise. It was often made from silk that still had not yet had the sericin beaten out of it. This raw silk when made into a garment would stand away from the skin allowing the wearer to remain cool. For the ease of instruction, I have chosen to use the basic name of Uchiki for the layered robes. These can be lined or unlined (depends on the season when worn). They can also be quilted (winter), made of plain silk or a jacquard like fabric, and the top-most layer for basic Nobility can be slight The body of your kosode is made of two panels that are more decorative, often stamped with designed ontop of the 14” wide. This measurement is based on the width of jacquard. the standard Heian looms. Some adjustment can be made in order to compensate for different sizes. Traditional Heian Japanese Looms ranged from 12” to 14” (Harvey, 2001). There is some evidence that they also had Remember to compensate by adding seam allowance if 16” and 18” looms, but Archeologist are still looking into you are not working with selvages. whether clothing was made from these fabrics. For instruction and consistency, I use 14” wide fabric. Kosode: Patterning The front of the kosode for outer wear •Take measurement from includes a 4” collar and a „gore‟ that shoulder seam over front attaches to the body panel of body to toes. For floor approximately where your collar bone length Kosode add is. anywhere from 2” to 14” Regarding the „Gore‟: (formal court) This is not actually a cut gore, as in In order to have the Japan they rarely cut fabric… all of collar fit properly, you these robes had selvages, and so raw need to open up the cut edges were avoided. They panels back seam to insert were basted together so that when they the collar. needed to be clean the entire garment could be taken apart. (Costume We typically set it Museum, 2009). about 2” back. Having investigate photos of extant textiles from Heian and Kamakura, as The sleeves for the kosode are actually very simple.