Getting started with Japanese garb
When first getting started with it, Japanese garb can be very intimidating. There are so many different garments, so many different rules, nothing is familiar or similar to European garmentry, and the creation of the garb can be very daunting. This class is designed to give you an introduction to the various different terms for things, and give you an idea on how someone of a given time might get dressed for their day. There will be a significant time for questions as well, so that you can ask any of the garment or wear-based questions you might have had for a while about Japanese costuming, but didn’t know who or how to ask.
Terms!
History:
~~ Period
This is how sections of time are recorded in Japanese history, and are frequently broken up by a major war, a change in ruler, a major cultural shift, or a social restratification. Within the SCA period, it starts with the Asuka Period (538-710), then the Nara Period (710-794), followed by the Heian (794-1185) and the Kamakura (1185-1333), then the Muromachi (1333-1568). The final period within the SCA context is the Momoyama Period, my own period, and this one is a bit more iffy on timeline. The Momoyama Period can start as early as the 1550’s, when the unification of Japan first picked up major steam, and ends in either 1600 with the last unification war called the Battle of Sekigahara, or in 1603, when Tokugawa Ieyasu is elevated to the status of shōgun and de-facto head of the empire of Japan.
Clothing:
Kosode
The standard garment of later Japanese periods. This was originally an undergarment in the Heian Period, but gradually became an outer garment and fancifully decorated as fashion and social structure changed. By the Muromachi Period, it was fully an outer garment. It is the precursor to the modern kimono, but is cut wider and structured differently. It was worn by all genders, and though there were some gender differences, they were subtle and varied according to time period and social class.
Juban
When kosode became outerwear, this is the garment that replaced it as the skin layer. It is almost always white, when not white was a specific shade of red thought to be beneficial to the wearer’s health, and was frequently a bast fiber like hemp or ramie. It was cut and constructed similarly to a kosode, however it was generally shorter, as it usually only fell to the knees or midcalf.
Katabira
This is the name for any kosode-like garment, cut in the same ways as a kosode, but of a fabric other than silk and usually not lined. These were frequently summer-weight fabrics like gauze, and were often just as colorful and patterned as standard kosode.
Obi
This is the belt that keeps Japanese clothing closed, when not being accomplished by ties integrated into a garment already. This item has gone through significant changes over the course of history, as it started life as a simple cord called himo to tie clothing both up and closed around the body, then eventually began to shift to a small, flat braided ribbon then woven fabric to accomplish the same purpose. By the end of the Momoyama and SCA period, this tie was roughly 3 inches wide and frequently of a brocade fabric, still very narrow and simple compared to modern obi worn with kimono according to current kitsuke rules and standards.
Kimono
This is the modern garment associated with Japanese traditional costuming. It is derived from a garment first made in the Edo Period(1603-1868), and is thus not generally appropriate for use in the SCA, especially if worn according to modern kitsuke rules and standards. However, modern kimono can frequently be let out at the seams and have the sleeves altered into a more historical shape, so they can be used as historical garment after some alteration. Be aware that these run extremely small, and are unlikely to fit any European or American frame larger than Medium, even after alteration.
Kamishimo
This is a garment equivalent to a modern-day suit and pants outfit, as it is a shirt or jacket and pants made of matching fabric. This fabric can be a variety of weights and patterns, as well as many different shirt and pant combinations, but it’s defined by the fact that the fabric of both garments is the same. This garment was also the standard garment worn by men of the buke/warrior class for several centuries.
Hakama
This is the general-use term for most of the pleated pants worn throughout Japanese history. There were numerous different styles and variations, as well as a number of set lengths for the legs. In earlier periods, these were worn by all genders, and were a gender-neutral garment, but in later periods, it became a masculine garment, as women were generally no longer socially permitted to wear them. This shift can be seen in the majority of social classes, not just the kuge/aristocratic and the buke/martial.
Haori
This is a jacket worn modernly and usually paired with modern kimono. Modernly this garment is rather gender-neutral, and the pattern on the garment used helps determine which gender should be wearing it, but traditionally women had a different garment they wore as a jacket. Additionally, though this garment looks vaguely historical, it is not, but the garment it’s based off of is.
Dōbuku/Dōfuku
This is the traditional garment modern haori are based off of, and were traditionally a masculine garment, and came in a variety of cuts, styles, and patterns. Just as this garment is the precursor to the modern haori, it in turn is based off of several other, far older garments such as the camp garment called a jinbaori, a different dobuku but with different kanji, and several other garments. This garment was traditionally worn by merchants and those of similar lower social classes, but it was quickly adopted by the samurai/buke class due to ease of wear and comfort.
Hitatare
This is a specific shirt which has a full panel and a half-sleeve, specific decorations, and a sleeve cord run through channels sewn onto the sleeve roughly halfway between the wrist hem and the halfpanel seam. This is an older style of shirt, and was worn in some form or another by both the kuge and the buke classes in the Heian, Kamakura, and early Muromachi periods, and was worn specifically by men. It fell out of fashion as time passed, and was replaced by the sleeveless kataginu.
Kataginu
This is a sleeveless and decoration-less version of the hitatare, and was the later form of the shirt that went with the kamishimo outfit. As this is closer to a jacket than a shirt, the kosode worn underneath it would have been more visible, it’s likely the shift to this garment over was at least partially influenced by fashion and social pressures, as clothing had always been a way for people to show both their wealth and social standing, and the more that could be seen, the easier it would have been to impress someone’s peers.
Juunihitoe
The traditional set of robes worn by aristocratic ladies in the Heian Period. This consisted of several garments, including twelve (juu ni) layers of unlined robes (hitoe). Ladies of this class also wore pure white and solid red kosode, as well solid red hakama as the skin layer garments. This outfit was frequently heavy and difficult to move around in, as all of the layers were intentionally larger than the person wearing them. A miniature version can be seen in traditionally dressed display dolls.
Footwear:
Geta
These are the traditional shoes one thinks of when they think of Japanese footwear. They are made of solid wood, and have between one and three slats of wood called ‘ha/teeth’ elevating the platform where the foot rests away from the ground. They had a strap of cloth that connected between the first and second toes, as well as on either side of the foot to hold the shoe on while walking, and required practice to walk in correctly. These and all other Japanese shoes are always slightly smaller than a traditional Western fit, as the heel of the foot is supposed to hang just slightly off the back of the shoe.
Zori
This is the traditional footwear for women in a majority of Japanese social classes and time periods. Like geta, these are made of wood, but they are a solid construction, usually carved from a single block of wood instead of jointed or nailed together like geta. Like the geta, they also had a strap of cloth that connected between the first and second toes, as well as on either side of the foot to hold the shoe on while walking. Unlike geta, however, these are the shoes that are the precursor to the modern flipflop.
Waraji
These are the straw sandals often seen in samurai movies, and would have been both everyday wear for those of lower classes like merchant, farmer, and commoner, as well as traveling shoes for those of upper class on long journeys and warriors marching to or from a battle. They were easy and quick to make, used the abundantly-available rice straw for their construction, and could be made with little to no prior skill. Soldiers often had several pair hanging from their waist or their bags, because they did tend to wear out quickly when walking long distances, but where far more cost-efficient for those journeys than geta.
Hats:
Eboshi
This is the standard term for any and all masculine hats worn during Japanese history. It’s not inclusive of all of the hats throughout Japanese history, as there were some hats worn specifically by women, but each of those had unique names, and were classified differently. Different types of eboshi were worn in different time periods and by different social classes, so research is generally needed to know which type of eboshi would be correct for your persona.
旦暮庁 TANBO-CHŌ 