P7+Kimono

** Dress and Appearance the Kimono P7

Pallavi Y and Jack L **

**Introduction**

**The topic is the kimono and other appearance and dress. Depending on the class and wealth of the person they wore different dress in the periods in Japanese history. Therefore one of our main ideas is what was worn in different periods. Another is what was worn by different classes of people. We also have a paragraph which is a basic introduction to the history of the kimono. Another is what it consists of. The other one is to do with the occasions the kimono was worn for and what exactly they wore on those events. The first paragraph is the background information for the kimono of some basic history and background of the kimono.**

**Background Information of the Kimono**

** The kimono is traditional clothing worn in Japan. Kimono means thing to wear and is a dress/robe. The kimono is made in many different ways, and is worn on rich, poor, men, woman, and children. Samurai wore silk kimono of finest quality and pattern. Kimono were traditionally worn by men. Kimono are made for different seasons. Kimono have been worn for over 2,000 years. From 794-1185 colored kimonos became very popular to woman. Formal dark ones were worn on men. Colorful ones were worn of woman. Most complicated designs were made on hand operated looms. Japanese artisans make and create kimonos. Garments were cut in simple style. After the weaving and dying element of the kimono had got better, the artisans were able to make pretty kimonos. Kimono are now worn as typical **  ** Japanese clothing. ** ** According to the occasion there can be different designs put on the kimono. Children wore long sleeved kimonos. Woman wore short sleeved kimonos. Kimono being considered as a regular type of clothing was a relatively late development ** **. **

**How a Kimono is Put On/ What is it/ What Does it Consist of**

**A woman's kimono has a few different parts. The first layer or part is called the nagajuban. The nagajuban is a slip. After the nagujuban is put on socks called tabi are put on. These are put on at the same time, and are made to keep the big toes apart from the other toes. Sandals are put on over these tabi; these sandals are made of wood and called geta. Once the tabi has been put on an outside heavier silk (silk if you're wealthy) kimono is put on. It is folded with the left side over the right. Finally something called an obi is put on it is, basically a piece of clothing that fits around the waist. The obi is made of silk which had been embroidered. That is what the woman's kimono is consists of and how it's put on. The samurai's robes were a little different though. For battle purposes they wore simple robes underneath their amour these had strings to fasten the robe. They also wore tabi and wore straw sandals. The sandals were good because they did not have any lice. This what two different types of robe have.**


 * What Occasions a Kimono is Worn for**

**There are different kimono for different occasions and seasons. In the summer, light and colorful kimonos are worn, these are called yukata. In the winter, flannel kimonos are worn, these are called nemaki. Woman’s best kimonos are worn on New Year’s Day in Shinto shrines. The different occasions in Japan are New Year’s Day, tea ceremonies, and weddings. When a wedding happens the woman wears a white kimono. There are different patterns and designs for different occasions and seasons. There are different types of obis for different occasions and seasons, also. The kimonos are worn according by the age of a person, the occasion and season. Formal kimono are worn by older woman. The wedding kimono consists of two different kimonos. Rich patterned silk brocade is worn over the white kimono. These are the different kimonos worn for different occasions and seasons in Japan.**

**The Clothing That is Worn in Different Periods**

**Kimono first became common clothing during the Ashikaga period. Later in the Tokugawa period the kimono went through another change. This change was that only samurai could wear bright colorful and expensive kimonos. This was because of a rule that the shogun and his surrounding government made. Artisans and merchants were not allowed to wear bright colors. Townspeople followed this rule by having garments that weren't colorful. However richer people in town did not obey this rule and put colorful silks on their kimonos. This is the development of the kimono.**

**The Clothing Which is Worn by Different Classes/ People in General**

**Different classes of people tended to wear different things. A big thing that distinguished what they wore was their wealth. Rich people used to wear kimonos of silk. Poorer people wore kimonos of hemp, linen or cotton. Sometimes there were restrictions even for rich people however (see paragraph above). Peasants dress was very different from the rest of society. Peasants wore trousers and jackets. Woman wore blue and white aprons made by using a block-printing technique. All of the peasant’s clothes were constructed of cotton and they were dyed a blue color. The blue comes from a plant, the indigo plant. This dress was plain when looked at next to the things wealthy/ier people in towns wore.** **Different classes and wealth of people affected what they wore greatly.**

**Conclusion**

**Kimono are an essential part in the Samurai culture. For war, Samurai wore a kimono under their armor. Without the kimono underneath they could not have worn amour. In the Tokugawa period Samurai wore different kimonos for different events they went to. During the Tokugawa period only the samurai could wear the colorful and expensive kimono. In the Tokugawa period these kimonos was a privilege given to samurai as nobody else could wear the nice kimonos. The samurai in the Tokugawa period were court officials and dress probably in that time became more important as it was a time of peace and growth. Without the kimono in the Tokugawa period samurai would have been less distinguished. With the classes in Japan, and especially in the Tokugawa period where they had strict classes, it would not have done for samurai to have been wearing the same thing as merchants. The kimono was a way of them showing that they were samurai and had a privilege that nobody else had. Without samurai wearing these special kimonos in the Tokugawa period it would have totally have changed society and people being able to admire samurai. It would not have been good if people were thinking are they samurai or merchants? Kimonos were important for samurai in any period but they were especially important in the Tokugawa period.

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Citations:

Books:**

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Conlan, Thomas. Samurai Warrior. **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">New York: Metro Books, 2008. **


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Kalman, Bobbie. Japan the Culture. **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">New York : Crabtree Publishing **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Company, 1989. **


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Odjik, Pamela. The Japanese. **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Silver **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Burdett Press, 1989.

Websites: **


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Clark, James. “The Samurai and the Use of Bushido.” pacificu.edu. Asian Studies, **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">May 2nd 1996. Web. 23rd February 2010. **


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Mann, Morris. “Samurai’s Clothing.” San Francisco Unified School District. SFUSD, 2007. Web. 23rd February 2010 **[|**http://www.sfusd.k12.ca.us/schwww/sch618/jap**] [|**an/Clothing/Japanese_Clothing_Make_Up.html**]**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">. **

**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">"Wedding Kimono the Japanese Wedding Dress." Kimono, Kimono fabric and Japanese clothing. Google. ****<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">[|http://www.japanesekimono.com/wedding_kimono.]htm ****<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">. 2-19-10 ** **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">. **