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fashionandbunny · 3 years

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Motifs

Abstract motifs

Lines only

Koshi: vertical trellis

Tasuki: diagonal trellis

Kagome: basket design

Higaku: cypress fencing

Complex combos

Rai: lightning

Kikko: tortoise shell

Manji: joined swastika

Circular designs

Yo-mon

Representing constellations

Shichiyomon = 7

Kuyomon = 9

Been around at least since Nara Period

Figurative Motifs

Flowers were very popular and connected to femininity

Most common blossoms (all have lots of poetic connotations)…

Plum

Cherry

Wisteria

Bush clover

Hydrangea increased in popularity during Azuchi-Momoyama Period and Edo Period

Lotus are avoided due to religious connotations

Chrysanthemum, iris, lily, and autumn grasses were also popular, but needed novelty to be considered interesting

More nature…

Tree trunks

Leaves

Pine

bamboo/sasa

Willow

Vines (popular with courtesans)

Confusion virtues that liked to be used

“Three companions”

Pine

Bamboo

Plum

“Four gentleman”

Plum

Chrysanthemum

Ran orchid

Bamboo

Animals

Phoenixes

Cranes

Roosters

Mandarin duck

Muromachi Period introduced…

Herons

Cormorants

Sparrows

Swallows

Quails

Edo Period introduced (for women as well)…

Hawks

Eagles

Birds of prey

Other live things

Butterflies

Dragonflies

Hares

Items

Cartwheels

Fans

Poem squares/rectangles

Boxes

Instruments

Water motifs

Bamboo basket work

Drying nets

Boats

Bridges

Flowing water

Waves

Waterfalls

Places

Farmhouses

Pavilions

Wattle and brushwood fences

More nature stuff

Clouds

Mist

Snow

Yukina “snowflake”

Uta-e/ashide-e

The blending of japanese characters into nature scenery

#kimono #kimonos #historical #historical fashion #japanese historical fashion #japanese designs #motifs #textiles #research #research notes #fashion

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fashionandbunny · 3 years

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Techniques

Types of Techniques: Wow I Wish I Had the Means To Do Any of These

Gold Foils

Surihaku

“Printed foil” or “impressed foil”

Originated in the Nara Period

How: paste is applied to fabric (shusu or rinzu satin) over a stencil. The stencil is removed and while the paste is still wet the foil is applied. Any extra is brushed away

Cloth used is usually a deep red, purple, or indigo

Rose to popularity in Muromachi period due to imports

Not many extant garments, as the foil by this time has flaked away

Used often for Noh costumes

Nuihaku

Combo of surihaku and embroidery

Done to give the designs more depth

Photo Source second half of the 18th–first half of the 19th century Embroidered silk satin Egret and Willow Tree The Met Museum

Tsujigahana

Combo of tie-dye, hand-painting, and surihaku

Came about during Muromachi to Azuchi-Momoyama Period in Kyoto

Photo Source late Momoyama period Plain-weave silk with resist dyeing and ink painting Horizontal Stripes, Flowering Plants, Fans, Snowflakes, Clouds, and Bellflowers The Met Museum

Woven Designs

Aya

Twill

Rinzu

Figured satin

Nishiki

Weft and weave threads are different colors

Kinran/Ginran

Gold/silver threads used in weft/weave

Tsuzure-ori

Tapestry weave

Ukimon-ori

“Floating-design weave”

Long lengths of thread are “floated” on the surface of the fabric

Can still be seen in obi designs

Noshime

Striped fabric weave

Photo Source Meiji Period Noshime Furisode with Dragons and Clouds in Cloud-Silhouette Band on Dark Brow Kyoto National Museum

Dyeing and Printing

Kokechi

“Tie-dyeing”

Shibori

A type of non-wax resist dyeing

Fabric is wound with cord and dyed in indigo

Nuishime-shibori

Fabric is sewn together and then dyed

Created during the Muromachi Period

Nui-shibori

Combo of shibori and embroidery

Murago

Different shades of the same color merge into each other

Rokechi

Wax-resist dyeing

Kyokechi

Block-resist dyeing

Kata-zome

Combo of stencil dyeing and block printing

Used during the Nara Period

Gave way to “Komon” (small pattern)

Yuzen-zome

Created by Miyazaki Yuzensai (Kyoto Yuzen)

How: a design is painted on the cloth with paint and dyestuffs, fixed with a liquor made of beans, and sealed with a paste made of rice before the surrounding area is dyed.

At the same time Miyazaki was working in Kyoto, this technique was also being discovered at the same time in Kanazawa in Kaga Province

Kaya yuzen

Bright colors

Considered more charming

Kyoto yuzen

Darker colors

Photo Source Early Meiji period Paste-resist dyed (yūzen) and painted silk gauze with embroidery Unlined Summer Kimono (Hito-e) with Crickets, Grasshoppers, Cricket Cages, and Pampas Grass The Met Museum

Kirihame

Applique and patchwork

[on the topic of Japanese color culture] “The same preference for gradual change is the reason a shade of grey called usu-nibi-iro was worn for morning rather than black. It represented not a sudden descent into the dark of night, but a gradual transition into twilight.” P.161

Part 5

#kimono #kimonos #historical #historical fashion #japanese historical fashion #japanese designs #japan #research #research notes #textiles #dyeing #fashion

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fashionandbunny · 3 years

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Design

Yabo vs Iki: Old vs New

During the Edo period two opposing fashion styles appeared.

Yabo

Creatively weak

Repetition + reduplication

Often times too much was going on (very busy patterns)

Pushed by the court

Iki

“chic”

A response to yabo

“Pure, unadulterated”

A big focus on simplicity

Was essentially a fashion rebellion

Photo Source Edo Period Autumn grass design on white twill ground Hand-painted by Ogata Korin Tokyo National Museum

Side Note Bright colors at one point had been banned, so people took to wearing bright colored under robes. Rules will never contain fashion

Designers: The Forgotten Group

Kimono designers at the time were highly neglected, and we don’t know many of the designer’s names or who they were!

A possibility is that they were painters patronized by the shogunate. Official painters would paint in the traditional sense, but they also designed furniture and buildings, so there’s a strong possibility they also created designs for clothing.

Screens of the time closely resemble kimono designs in talent and subject matter

We do know that drapery merchants soon began training in design to keep up with public demand, but names are hard to find.

Types of Designs

Katami-gawari

“Half the body different”

The right and left sides of the garment are made of different fabric

Seen in a lot of Noh costumes

This design has been around for a long time (at latest 14th century) as a cost-saving method

Nobles picked it up during the Azuchi-Momoyama period

There’s also a horizontal version

Dan-gawari = chessboard version

“Stepwise different”

Purely for the aesthetic

Photo Source Azuchi-Momoyama - Edo period, 16th-17th century Nuihaku Garment Clematis scroll, pampas grass and fan design on black and brown ground Tokyo National Museum

Photo Source first half of the 19th century Twill-weave silk brocade Noh Robe (Atsuita) with Young Pines, Cherry Blossoms, and Dandelions The Met Museum

Kato-suso

“Shoulders and hem”

Designs are placed only around the shoulders and hem, which is usually done in embroidery

Somewake Keicho

Thought to date around the Muromachi to Azuchi-Momoyama Period

The fabric is cut in circles, rectangles, and triangles arranged and sewn next to each other

The beauty comes from the shapes fitting perfectly together

Large Designs

Popular in 1660, partly because people liked having a large design and partly as rebellion against the feudal system

Family crests were a popular large design

Chirashi-moyo

“Scattered motif design”

Seen as far back as the Nara Period

Scattered characters were very popular along with scattered fans (“semmen-chirashi”) and family crests

Stripes and Checks

Not super popular until much later because of how easy it is to make the fabric

Became popular in the Muromachi Period party because of imported fabrics from China and Europe having striped and checkered patterns (“kanto”)

Kanto was used a lot for tea ceremonies

Noh costumes also really pushed this along

Pictorial Designs

A characteristic feature of Japanese textiles.

Popular in the Heian period

Yuzen-zome (dyeing technique) helped push it along

Part 4

#kimono #kimonos #historical #historical fashion #japanese historical fashion #japanese designs #clothing #research #research notes

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fashionandbunny · 3 years

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Noh Theater--Costumes Directly Affect Fashion

Noh plays: A form of theater that focuses on tragic, dramatic stories set in a time “long, long ago” (usually past courts). The actors wear masks that represent the character they are playing. A focus on “bringing the spirits back to tell their tale.”

Kyogen plays: comedic interludes between Noh plays. A focus on familiarity and relatability. Used to be totally improved.

“If the kosode suggests the warmth of the person wearing it, Noh costumes suggest a cool, spiritual quality. It has a strange kind of colorfulness.” -p.53

A Brief History Of Noh Theater; For Context

The form reached maturity when actor/playwrights Kannami Kiyotsugu and his son Zeami Motokiyo were “discovered” in 1374.

Noh had existed before that (probably for around ~200 years) but had little to no funding behind it. It mostly consisted of traveling troupes performing for what they could.

Noh theater came under the patronage of the shogun when samurais were still trying to separate themselves from the court they had just taken over. They wanted to replace the traditional style of dance that had been used for court celebrations, and Noh theater appeared at just the right moment. Thus, they put a lot of funding into the theater and it quickly became a “sophisticated art form” only for the middle-upper class and those lucky enough to find their way in.

Noh’s Costumes Quick Development

At first, Noh costumes were the shogun household’s old clothing, as the topic often focused upon in Noh plays is tragic court stories and thus the actors needed nice clothing to represent that, all the better if the clothing was slightly older. Soon, the theater would have enough money to begin creating their own costumes. However...

“There was a custom at that time of rewarding a retainer [actor] by taking off an item of clothing and presenting it to him. As early as the Heian Period, rewards for distinguished service took the form of bolts of cloth, but occasionally a garment that happened to be worn at the time would be presented instead. The recipient would then drape the garment about his shoulders and make his exit. In the case of a dancer, the recipient would perform an encore with the gift in his hands.” -p.54

Clothes gifted would be used in later performances.

This created a culture of competition between Noh theater troupes, as they felt the costumes used reflected their troupe’s talent.

A Fun Side Note: Types of Noh and Kyogen Costumes

Female Costumes

Karaori

Photo Source late 18th–first half of the19th century Twill-weave silk brocade with supplementary-weft patterning in metallic thread Courtly ox carriages, dandelions, and cherry blossoms partially covered by the opaque gold clouds typical of Genji paintings. The Met Museum

“Chinese Weave;” named because the garment was made of a heavy, elaborate patterned fabric from China

Because it was originally a Chinese import, this suggests these were first gifts from ladies of the shogun’s household, as the troupe wouldn’t have the funds themselves at the time.

Eventually came to mean costumes made in Japan after the fashion of the original ‘Karaori’

Karaori would become the outer robe and continue to be made of heavy fabric

Karaori with red in the design

Represents a young woman

Karaori with no red in the design

Represents an older woman

Surihaku and Nuihaku

Sometimes worn under a karaori

Photo Source Edo period Surihaku No Costume with Gold Leaf Fish Scale Diaper on Salmon Pink Satin Ground Kyoto National Museum

Photo Source first half of the 18th century Silk embroidery and gold leaf on silk satin The Met Museum

Maiginu

“Dance robe”

Photo Source Edo Period Maiginu Garment Noh Costume Hydrangea and cloud design on purple ground Tokyo national museum

Male roles

Atsuita

Resembles the Karaori

Made of heavy brocade with designs in colored, gold, and/or silver yarns

Used for demon roles when worn under…

Mizugoromo

Happi

Sabutsugi

Choken

Photo Source Edo period Noh Costume Design of stylized tortoiseshells, interlocking circles, and paulownias on a yellowish green, brown and light blue checkered ground Tokyo National Museum

Atsuita-Karaori

Even more closely resembles karaori

Kariginu

Lined

Represents deities and men of high rank

Unlined

Shinto priests

Photo Source Edo Period Paulownias and square-shaped crests on dark blue ground Tokyo National Museum

Photo Source Edo Period Bamboo design on white ground Tokyo National Museum

Choken

Resembles the maiginu

Represents feminate natured males such as ‘young nobleman’

Sometimes used instead of maiginu

Usually festive and colorful

Photo Source Edo Period Silk gauze (ro) brocaded with metallic thread Scattered mulberry leaves decorate the base of the robe and sleeves, while larger, crestlike compositions of water plants decorate the chest and shoulders. The Met Museum

Happi or Ho

Lined

Represents demons, gods, or generals

Unlined

Battle attire of a young noble

Photo Source Edo Period Karahana floral design on green ground Tokyo National Museum

Sobatsugi

Essentially just a lined happi with the sleeves removed

Represents armor

Photo Source Edo Period Interlocked chrysanthemum design on light green ground Tokyo National Museum

Noshime

Plain

Represents ‘old-man’ and buddist priest roles

Banded

Represents common folk and low-rank samurai

Sometimes used to represent low-born women

Photo Source Edo Period Design of check pattern with bellflower crests on green Tokyo National Museum

Suo

An unlined garment of hemp fiber

Basically a simplified hitatare

Represents everyday wear of samurai and common people

Hangiri

Form of hakama (aka trousers)

Usually has a rich, woven design

Worn with happi

The motifs used in the design would also give clues as to the type of character, such as...

Grasses and flowers = femininity

Poetry (aka books or actually poems) = a court lady

Lions, clouds, lightning = strength

Kyogen Costumes

Kyogen uses more natural speech and movements, and some types of characters don’t wear masks. It was meant to be familiar to the audience and was more contemporary in nature when compared to Noh.

Visit here to see a full ensemble of a kyogen costume

“...Kyogen performances were improved, using whatever garments happened to be on hand.” -p.66

Kyogen has three common characters

Country bumpkin

The simpleton

The servant/head-servant (tarokaja)

The country bumpkin/simpleton would oftentimes wear…

Robe garment decorated with gourds and trivets

The servant would wear…

Patterned katagiri of hemp over striped noshima

Hakama trousers decorated with family crests

The master (when included) would wear…

Vestlike garment resembling a katagiri and long trailing kakama over banded noshima

It was common for people to incorporate design aspects they had seen in a Noh costume into their daily wear. Thus the people continually called for more beautiful costumes, both for inspiration and for a deeper theater experience, and the theater responded in kind. A kind of cycle was born. This cycle has been around since Noh theaters spike in popularity, but became especially important during the Edo period, where the theater was one of the only places fashion could continue to be explored freely.

Part 3

#kimono #kimonos #noh theater #noh theater costumes #costumes #theater #japanese theatre #historical fashion #japanese historical fashion

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fashionandbunny · 3 years

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The Kimono and It’s Development

“To think of clothes only in terms of efficiency is to disregard the human element. If people have to work, they also have to play.” - P.12

Causes of Early Development

Climate

As an island nation, Japan suffers from extremely hot and humid summers, thus the need for something that wouldn’t cause heat exhaustion was dearly needed

Constructing wooden-framed buildings

This is linked to the Japanese tradition of sitting on the floor, which arose a need for something that is easy to sit on the floor in.

Side Note! There is evidence that in early Japanese times, there was a period where it was common for everyone to wear dress consisting of separate upper and lower garments like in the West.

Early Influences: The Chinese Hanfu and Juni-Hitoe

China’s T’ang Dynasty (618-907) had a big influence on Japan in terms of fashion during the Japanese Nara Period (710-784)

Japan really liked the Chinese ‘Hanfu’ and used that style of dress. Japanese nobility grew out of the style slightly around the 10th century during the Heian Period, but the commoner class would continue to dress in a ‘Hanfu’ like garment until the Kamakura Period (1192-1333)

Interestingly enough, the hanfu is making a come back in current Chinese fashion

Roughly what a hanfu would look like. Photo pulled from here. If anyone knows of any museums with public photos of extant hanfu please message me so I can change this picture.

The Heian Period brought about the style of ‘Juni-Hitoe’ (“twelve robes”) which only high ranking noble women wore for specific occasions. This style, though only worn by a small number of people, and only during certain occasions, is essential to the development of the kimono, as we shall see later.

[talking about the robes used] “Each one was simple in color and design, but the aim was the complex beauty at the collar and sleeve openings, where the color of all twelve robes were visible.” -P. 25

Photo pulled from here.

Kamakura Period: Politics enters the world of fashion (unsurprisingly)

The Kamakura Period marked a big political change for Japan. The Taira Family, which had been running the court system of Japan, had been taken over by the samurai class, marking the end of the Heian Period. The samurai, now in charge of the nation, were looking to separate themselves from what had come before. They wanted to create their own culture.

Kamakura Period women, looking to separate themselves from the previous Heian noblewomen, slowly changed from wearing multilayers (“kasame-gi”) to a single layer (“hitoe-gi”).

Enter the Kosode

The Kosode was originally the undergarment robe worn when a lady wore the Juni-Hitoe style. Now that women were only wearing one robe, the kosode transitioned from an undergarment to an outer garment.

“Kosode is an old name for the form of dress that is now usually simply called kimono.” - P.13

A Necessary Side Note: Characterizing Kimono Types

I find it easiest to think of kimono as an umbrella term, because kimono have different names depending on the type of sleeve it has and/or the type of material it is made of and/or the occasion it would be worn on. This is important to note when looking at extant garments to understand who would have worn it, when, and why. The different types of kimono covered in this book are…

Kosode (“small sleeves”)

Oftentimes sleeves are totally sewn shut; looking to the picture we see there is no gap between the torso section and the sleeves. Also we see that the sleeves are a bit short.

Ended up being associated with the lower class for a while

Photo Source Second half of the Edo Period Silk and metallic thread embroidery with resist dyeing on satin damask Cherry blossoms, a fence, and carriage wheels The Met

Hirosode (“wide sleeves”)

Wide as in arm to floor length

Sleeve end left open

Worn by the upper class for a while

Osode (“large sleeves”)

Large as in shoulder to wrist length

Furisode (“swinging sleeves”)

Only a quarter of the sleeve is open

Considered a special type of kosode

Photo Source 1912-1926 Silk crepe; freehand paste-resist dyed, embroidered in silk and metallic threads with applied gold and silver Boat filled with flowers on swirling water, pine tree, plum blossoms and maples The Khalili Collection

By this point (end of the Kamakura Period, beginning of the 13th century) we essentially have today’s kimono. This garment will not be seeing any more physical alterations. However, the kimono will go through many design/patterning/technique shifts from this point forward. The book continues to refer to kosode specifically, so I shall as well.

“Again, however unique it may be, unless it is also aesthetically pleasing, it is not worth the nation’s pride.” - P.10

Azuchi-Momoyama Period: When Color Filled the Streets

Up until this point (~1300 all the way to ~1573) the kosode would remain frugal and simple so as to adhere to the samurai way of life until…

The period of 1573-1603 (Azuchi-Momoyama Period) had a strong focus on abandoning the old and letting in the new after years of warfare. Class was ignored and creative freedom reigned. There was a large focus on personal freedom.

Men began exploring more color and design in their clothing

Photo Source Late Azuchi-Momoyama Period Plain weave with un-glossed warps and glossed wefts silk Paulownia leaves and arrows Dofuku worn by Toyotomi Hideyoshi Kyoto National Muesum

Better pictures here.

Red light districts and theaters went crazy with their fashion during this period

“Prostitution was a way of keeping alive for women who found themselves in reduced circumstances as a result of the wars… the women wore kosode of striking design. Most of the kosode of that period left today are garments once worn by members of wealthy families; no example of kosode used by courtesans is extant. Perhaps such garments were used until they were completely worn out.” - p.32

Sadly this period only lasted from 1573-1603 and then…

Edo Period: The Lame People Take Over

During this period the shogunate emphasized people acting within their class status. There were many new rules created desperately trying to regulate fashion. However, as many rules as they made, rules can never stop the creative flow of fashion.

There would actually be a shift away from the kosode to focus on the obi and what a person could do with it creatively.

The licensed district (approved red light districts) and theaters became hot spots of fashion.

“The fact that the licensed quarters acted as a hothouse for the development of the impractical hairstyles of the time, with their ornamental combs and hairpins, is an indication of how eagerly personal adornment was pursued in the island of freedom.” -p.39

It was during this period that the theater truly began to change the fashion world…

Part 2

#kimono #historical fashion #japanese historical fashion #fashion #research #research notes #historical #japan #kimonos #kosode

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