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Kimono - Japan's Native Costume
 In
Japan today you can still occasionally spot people (women mostly) wearing the
traditional Japanese kimono. Some modern Japanese call such people kimono no
hito or "kimono people". If you encounter a kimono person walking
along the street in Japan then it is likely they are on their way to some
important event such as a marriage or school entrance ceremony. Community
festivals and religious events also attract many kimono people (both men and
women) who can be seen dressed in some version of Japan's traditional costume.
Only a few decades ago in Japan it was not uncommon to frequently see older
women wearing subdued kimono as they went about their town errands. These
kimono people commonly wore kimono as their standard outfit, and may have held
an impressive wardrobe of these beautiful robes in their home. The
traditional kimono wardrobe for a woman did in the past commonly include one or more kimono for
everyday wear; another for shopping, traveling or meeting with friends; still
another for semi-formal visiting; another for weddings and receptions and
finally a black crested ceremonial kimono for use at funerals. In
addition, a woman would require a large number of supplemental items such as a
kimono corset, special undershirts and half-slips, a lined under-kimono and
half-collar, silk waistband, tabi socks and zori or geta
sandals!
 My
wife's grandmother (pictured at right with her daughter and a few
grandchildren) wore and made her own kimono all her adult life
until her passing in the mid 1980's. While growing up, my wife Yumiko
(little girl in the photo) and her grandmother shared a small bedroom together,
and Yumiko today enjoys telling stories of watching her grandmother dress
herself in kimono each morning. Grandmother always awoke early to prepare
the family's breakfast and would invariably put on one of her everyday kimonos.
My wife tells how she was
always fascinated to watch her grandmother
perform the complicated procedure of
tying the kimono's obi (sash) behind her back with no assistance (very
few modern Japanese women can do this). Grandmother was always careful to
put on one of her three-quarter length michiyuki (literally "while on the
road") outer coats to protect her fine, hand-made kimono from becoming soiled
during the day.
 Sadly, today there are very few older women (or anyone
else) in Japan who wear kimono as their daily attire. As time passes and
memories fade, many families (though not ours) have sought to respectfully
dispose of their ancestor's kimono wardrobes in order to free space in the
normally cramped Japanese home. With this occurrence we are beginning to
see a larger number of interesting, high-quality kimono and kimono accessories
appearing in Japanese fabric and antique stores as well as at flea markets and
auctions. This transition of
traditional Japanese clothing into the open marketplace presents us with a rare
and interesting opportunity to find and acquire authentic Japanese kimono and
kimono accessories at a reasonable price. Such items with their wonderful
fabrics and unique Japanese patterns are often well suited for use as decorative
accents within the home. Kimono Obi for example make beautiful
table runners, often without the need to cut or alter their form in any way.
Research on Kimono:
Norio Yamanaka. "The Book of Kimono." Kodansha International
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Click
here
to see kimono, obi and antique Japanese textiles available for purchase from our eBay store
The Old Tokaido |
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