The kimono is Japan’s traditional national costume. Because more than 90% of the Japanese population belongs to the “Yamato” ethnic group, it is named after it. In Japanese, it is also called “dress”. In addition to keeping warm and protecting the body, kimonos also have high artistic value. In particular, women’s kimonos are colorful and beautiful in style, and are equipped with beautiful wide belts at the waist. They are simply a work of art.
During the Nara period (718 AD), Japan sent a Tang envoy to China. They were received by the Tang king and received a large number of court uniforms. These costumes were dazzling and very popular in Japan. At that time, all the civil and military officials in the Japanese court were envious. The following year, the emperor ordered that the entire nation of Japan wear clothing imitating Sui and Tang styles.
The origin of the kimono can be traced back to around the 3rd century AD. According to “Wei Zhi·Biography of the Japanese”, “a piece of cloth is used, with a hole in the middle and the head inserted through it. There is no need to tailor the clothes.” This is the prototype of the kimono. . During the Yamato era, the Japanese king sent envoys to China three times, bringing back a large number of Han weaving, Wu weaving and craftsmen who were good at weaving and sewing techniques. Most of the Chinese immigrants who crossed east to Fuso were literati and craftsmen, and they brought back Chinese clothing. The style was introduced to Japan.
By the Muromachi period of the 14th century, in accordance with Japan’s traditional habits and aesthetic tastes, clothing with the characteristics of Sui and Tang Dynasties gradually evolved and finalized, and there were no major changes in the following 600 years. As for the fanny pack, it was created by Japanese women who were influenced by Christian missionaries wearing robes and belts. The fanny pack was initially placed in the front and later moved to the back. Before the Meiji Restoration in 1868, all Japanese people wore kimonos. However, after the Meiji Restoration, men in the upper class began to wear Western suits, which are commonly known as “Western suits.”
During the Great Kanto Earthquake in Japan in 1923, because women at that time still wore kimonos, they suffered misfortunes or suffered physical injuries due to limited mobility. After that, Japanese women gradually changed to wearing skirts or other clothing. However, kimonos are still loved by Japanese people today. Whether it is on major occasions such as festivals, graduation ceremonies, weddings, funerals, or the “Seven-Five-Three” celebrations for children, people wearing traditional kimonos can be seen everywhere.
When talking about kimono, we must first talk about its origin (historical inheritance).
Since the era of Emperor Ongami, Japan has had close exchanges with South Korea and China, which has brought favorable conditions for the transmission of culture. Emperor Suiko even imitated the clothing of the Sui Dynasty and formulated imperial uniforms and court uniforms. By the Nara period, it became fashionable to imitate the clothing and wearing styles of the Tang Dynasty. However, things must be reversed. As time goes by, the era of clothing with more personality and charm has arrived. This is the Heian Era
Since the era of theocratic rule, Japan’s clothing culture has always carried a distinct “foreign” mark. This is not only reflected in the form of clothing, but also in the weaving technology of clothing materials.
The Heian period was also the “era of national style” in Japan. After fully digesting the culture of the Tang Dynasty, she entered the stage of history as a university graduate. At this time, clothing gradually got rid of foreign influences and developed its own unique features of luxury, beauty and sophistication. 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 the Japanese aesthetics, which not only like abstract beauty, but also like the beauty that truly and meticulously reflects the natural world.
During the Edo shogunate period, although men’s and women’s clothing changed, for example, the shape of the small sleeves of women’s clothing became more modern, while haori became popular in men’s clothing (black five patterns were used as formal wear, followed by tea and yellow), and obi knots became popular. However, the basic pattern was set, and by the Meiji era, the kimono in the current sense was finalized, and it has not changed much since then.
Due to excessive corruption and extravagance, the rule of Gongqing finally declined. During the Kamakura and Muromachi shogunate periods, relatively lean and simple samurai culture emerged, and the characteristics of this era were also reflected in clothing. Straight and black hats are fashionable men’s clothing and are very popular. Women’s clothing made simple. During the Azuchi and Momoyama periods of Oda Nobunaga, it was popular for women to wear small sleeves. Although they were beautiful, they were still crude compared to Tang clothes 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 public ministers. They were basically a continuation of the court costumes from the Heian period. The final integration of the public ministers and the samurai family was in the Meiji period, which is a story later.
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