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Bridal kimono, 19th c., detail.
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In October we went to New York City to visit family and see this amazing exhibit of historic Japanese garments. Below are some images, more or less in chronological order, of items which appealed to me. The exhibit was big, so I'll do more than one post about it. This post focuses primarily on garments from the Edo period (1615-1868). Most of the images reference uchikake, which is actually a heavily embellished over robe which would have been the top layer of an ensemble, but I will just use the term kimono for simplicity.
My husband's newer iPhone did a very good job of capturing the images in the low light of the galleries, but for better images and more information the catalog accompanying the exhibit, Kimono Style: Edo Traditions to Modern Design, is excellent.
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Kyogen suit, detail, mid-19th c.
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The kimono and related garments in the exhibit were worn by a variety of folks: actors, brides, wealthy women, fisherman and firefighters. The jacket above was part of a comic theater (Kyogen) costume and is made of hemp, as is the jacket below. The rabbit motif references a Shinto tale of a clever rabbit who outwits some crocodiles to get across the sea. Many kimono reference literature.
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Kyogen jacket, early 19th c.
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Of course, many are familiar with Noh costumes, elaborately decorated silk kimono worn by performers in these highly stylized plays. Many of these costumes featured gold embroidery, eye-catching and glittering on stage.
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Noh costume, 19th c.
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Noh costume, detail with shippo motif.
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Kimono often feature traditional motifs commonly understood by the audience, such as the interlaced circles shippo pattern, symbolizing harmony and prosperity.
Designs for kimono were published in woodblock-printed pattern books, from which women, or their representatives such as a family steward, could select suitable decoration. Use of materials and decoration was closely circumscribed by sumptuary laws during the Edo period, as the military dictatorship of the shogunate kept control over society. Politics and social status were intertwined with clothing.
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Hishikawa Moronabu, book of designs, 1677.
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Imura Katsukichi, order book of kosode patterns, 1716.
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The kimono shape we know today evolved from an earlier type of garment called a kosode; the salient differences being the sleeve proportions and the sash - thinner than kimono obi and worn lower on the body, as seen in the figurine below, made for export to the West.
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Porcelain figurine, c. 1670-90.
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The kimono shape became codified by the end of the Edo period but colors, patterns and forms of decoration changed with the times and woe betide to the high-status lady who wore an out-of-date kimono. Old, no-longer-chic kimono were not discarded, however, but often donated to Buddhist temples to be recycled as garments or liturgical textiles.
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Buddhist monk's vestment, detail, 18th c.
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Wealthy brides wore astonishingly decorated kimono, featuring all the skills of Japan's textile artisans, including: brocade weaving, embroidery, dyeing, and painting. Symbolic motifs demonstrated that the wearer aspired to the attributes of the images.
For example, the kimono below features bamboo stalks, symbols of resilience and vitality. The folded paper decorations, in the shape of butterflies, symbolize a long marriage. Other motifs in the kimono, including pine trees, turtles, plum blossoms and cranes, reference longevity (see first image of this post.)
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Bridal kimono, 19th c.
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Bridal kimono, detail.
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Bridal kimono, mid-19th c.
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The reddish-orange kimono above was worn by a samurai bride. She would have worn all white for the ceremony, then changed into a colorful robe for the banquet. Auspicious images cover this kimono, including Mount Horai, near the hem, a mythical mountain associated with eternal life. We see cranes again, in the embroidery.
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Bridal kimono, detail.
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The turtle depicted has a "skirt" of threads attached to its rear end. These lines symbolize the seaweed that attaches to a sea turtle during its long life. The longer the trailing seaweed, the longer the life.
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Detail of turtle, with seaweed trailing behind.
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Finally, one more exquisitely embroidered kimono from this era. This would have been worn by a high-status lady at court. There are embroidered Chinese characters (Japanese borrows Chinese characters for part of the writing system) at the top of the body and on the sleeves which originally referenced a poem by courtier Miyako no Yoshika:
The weather clears, breezes comb the
hair of the young willows;
The ice is melting, wavelets wash the whiskers
of the old bog moss.
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Kimono, 18th century.
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Kimono, detail.
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