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Bin+gata (red patterns): multi-colored textiles dyed with stencils
against a red or yellow ground; originated in the
Ryukyu Island (principally Okinawa), where is was
reserved for the nobility; designs typically organized
in parallel registers; pastels traditionally favored
Chirimen: crepe textured
weave; created by increasing the tension of the
weft threads (over those of the warp); produces
a fine drape to the fabric, which is much favored
by women
chuya+obi (night+day): obi with contrasting
patterns on each face
Dai+myo (great name): colloquial
term for a clan leader; technically, one who held
an estate producing 10,000+ koku (50,000 bushels
of rice) per annum and was directly subject to the
Shogun at the time of Tokugawa Ieyasu's death
donsu: damask weave with isolated motifs
on a satin ground; particularly in emulation of
Ming dynstasy styles
Eboshi: style of peaked cap worn by the bushi class; usually
made of braided, and lacquered fiber or horesehair
Edo+ko+mon: variety of small-figured, densely
repeated, textile pattern, created by means of resist
stenciling; characteristic style from Edo; often
favored by the samurai class for formal wear
Fukuro+obi (bag sash): obi woven as an unseamed tube with a
single pattern; exterior decoration may cover only
2/3rds of length; reverse usually blank
furi+sode (swinging sleeve): formal ko+sode worn
by young, unmarried women; characterized by sleeves
with wide cuffs (sometimes exceeding two feet);
usually, completely decorated with floral motifs[JCaTA,pg.13]
Furisodoe is the most formal kimono for unmarried
women. The characteristics of furisode is its long
flowing sleeves. Among all kimono, it has most decorative
patterns using intricate embroidering or elaborate
work of hand paintings. Kimono wearers are decreasing,
but many women wear furisode and attend the Coming-of-Age
Day ceremony when they have turned 20.
Habutae: firm textured,
plain weave silk; resembles taffeta; first produced
at Nishijin (Kyoto) from the Momoyama period onward.
hakama: since the Heian period __ pleated,
loose, overtrouser, put on after the kosode; now,
largely reduced to just a pleated skirt without
interior division; largely used in men's formal
dress
hakata+obi: single layered, tightly woven
obi; characterized by thick weft threads and stiff,
tight weave; originated in Hakata
Haori : a lightweight coat worn over kimono. It
was used as a jacket or to prevent the kimono from
becoming soiled and wet. It isn't meant to close
in front, so you can just put on as a jacket. Men's
black haori can be worn just as a blazer for woman.
It matches perfectly with black pants or skirt.
For men, it is regarded as an essential kimono attire
along with the hakama, the long pleated loose-fitting
trousers. Black haori and hakama make the most formal
ceremonial ensemble. Men's haori often have unique
pictures, woven, painted or printed on their linings.
The mtotifs have a great variety, from the Noh play
to animals. You can even find the pictures with
a militaristic tone. Both men's and women's haori
can be worn as a jacket or blazer and also men's
haori can be excellent for wall hanging with the
inside out.
The black haori made of silk or crepe and bearing
a single family crest at the back mid seam is called
the kuro montsuki haori. It is worn for ceremonies.
happi: half-length, open-front coat, with
full-length collar; typically, sleeves are close-fitting
heko+obi: sash of loosely woven fabric; usually
three meters in length for adults; often decorated
with shibori designs; can be worn by both genders
in casual settings, but most often my males and
children with yukata
homon+gi: `Homon' means `to visit' and `gi'
is a `wear'. It's a formal wear both married and
unmarried women. It can be worn at the parties or
when calling on somebody. It's characterized by
colorful designs running continuously over the seams.
The length of the sleeves varies, unmarried women
wear with longer sleeves. Homongi is usually worn
with the double-folded(fukuro) obi with matching
obi-age(bustle sash) and obi-jime(a tieng cord).
Ichimatsu: checkerboard
pattern; largely popularized in the Edo period (1741)
by Sanogawa Ichimatsu, an Osaka actor
irotomesode: a formal kimono same as kurotomesode
but the base is not black but beautiful light colors.
It's the second most formal kimono for married women.
It also has five family crests and have more festive
air and worn at formal parties or gatherings.
jimbaori: open-front vest with turned back
lapels and tail break in back seam; usually made
from luxury frabrics; sometimes with epaulets; usually
worn over armor; design orignated in 16th century
Jo+fu: superior grade of
plain-weave hemp [Cannabis sativa]or linen cloth;
especially favored for summer wear by the samurai
class; see katabira; later applied to summer weight
fabrics that have have a similar texture (even silk)
juni+hitoe (12 unlined): colloquially, the
term applied to a 12 layered form of dress for court
women, which originated in the Heian period; actual
number of layers varied with time; sometimes as
many as 15 or as few as nine.
juban: under garment; typically follows the shape
and proportion of the outer garment; never worn
alone in public; comes in knee- and full lengths
Kanoko (fawn): tie-dye technique; named for its' resemblance
to the spotting on a fawn's coat
kasuri: technique for creating patterns in
fabric by selectively dying warp and/or weft threads
before weaving them together; pattern edges are
often blurred due to inexact registration of the
threads; geometric figures in white and indigo are
most common; also applied to fabrics that employ
this technique.
Known as a Japanese ikat, kasuri is one of the popular
designs of kimono. The basic Kasuri patterns are
cross and paralle cross designs. There are more
complex kasuri known as the pictorial kasuri, where
various Japanese disign such as pines, bamboo, plum
blossoms, cranes, tortoises.
Kasuri weaving begins by pre-dyeing of thread. Bundles
of thread are wrapped with cotton thread, so that
certain sections of the bundles are dyed and others
are not. The part of the reserved area get irregular
bleeding naturall and this causes interestingy effect
on Kasuri weaving. Once the thread is dyed and set,
the bundles are untied.
Notable examples of these are made in Fukuoka Prefecture,
Kurume-gasuri; Ehime Prefecture, Iyo-gasuri; and
Okinawa Prefecture, Ryukyu-gasuri.
kata+zome (stencil dying): dye technique;
starch resist process applied with paper stencils;
regular repeats are characteristic; one stencil
per color required
kin+ran: twill silk fabric; decorative motifs
are woven in gold thread; introduced to Japan during
Ming dynasty
kinsha: fine grade of chirimen
Kurotomesode: a most formal kimono for married
women. It is black and has five family crests in
white and usually has gorgeous and coloful patternes
floating on the bottom. The silk white collar undergarment
is worn under kurotomesode and makes the beautiful
neckline with the contrast of white and black. It
is worn when attending the relative members weddings.
Mame+shibori: style of
tie dying; said to resemble bean (mame) shape but
split by a resisted line
maru+obi: obi made from double-wide fabric,
which is creased down the center, and hemmed at
the selvages; always fully patterned; usually decorated
in small, repeated motifs; often in multiple colors;
typically the most formal obi worn by women
meisen: plain weave fabric made from broken cocoon
filaments and silk thread; commonly used for everyday
wear
meisen : The "meisen" style silk kimono was
the most popular garment at the beginning of the
Showa era. It is very different from fancy Furisode
or other formal kimono, but this is one of the kimono
which people wore everyday at home. The people over
60 years old feel so nostalgic seeing this kimono.
The principal characteristic of meisen is its interesting
surface decoration made by pre-dyed threads. As
the fabric is woven the surface decoration appears
as a shimmering, soft-edged pattern. The technique
is related to earlier methods kasuri (ikat), in
which threads are resisted before dyeing and weaving,
and e-gasuri ("picture-ikat"), a Japanese innovation
in which threads are resisted, rather than direct-dyed,
with the use of a stencil.Because of the events
such as World War I and the Kanto earthquake( 1923
) there was an intensified demand for silk garments,
and as the result, by the beginning of the Showa
period, the production and popularity of meisen
kimono was at its height. Meisen kimono were affordable,
durable, smart attire for everyday wear loved by
everyone.
michiyuki: Michiyuki is very similer to haori
jacket, except the square color in the front. The
length is usually a half-length or three-quarter
length.
miyamairi: About thirty days after a child
is born, it is taken to a Shintoshrine for its first
shrine visit, called `miyamairi'. Mother or a grandmother
holds the baby and covers him up with this kimono
and ties the cord around her neck. So the baby doesn't
really `wear' the kimono as you can see in the picture.
The prayer is offered to wish their growth and bright
future. The grandparents and relatives come to congratulate
them and tucks some gift money between that tieng
cord and kimono. It is the most proud moment for
the parents!
The boys kimono usually has more gold and the symbols
of congratulations such as pine trees, a hawk and
big hammer which is supposed to produce good things
are used.
A bay girl's kimono has flowery pattern with bivrant
colors.
Boy' s kimono somehow look more decorative. It may
be beacuse they consider a boy as an inheritor of
the family.
mofuku: a mourning wear with black silk fabric
with no patterns. It has five mon(family crests)
and the obi to go with mofuku should be black and
so are the foot wear.
mon (Crests): a family crest handed down
through the generations. Most mon designs are based
either on flowers or geometrical designs. However,
a few are based on the animals of the zodiac, birds,
or butterflies. Many of the popular mon are derived
from ones once used by the aristocracy, particularly
those used by members of the royal family. Most
of the black formal haori, kimono or children's
celemonial kimono has those crests in white.
Nishiki: compound weaves
with decorative warp and weft threads; usually on
plain or twill ground; also indicates any highly
coloful pattern; colloquially known as "brocade"
Nishi+jin (West camp): Kyoto district famed
for its' textile production; established in the
Kamakura period to encourage the development of
weaving and sericulture in Japan
No-: form of theatrical performance; developed
and patronized by the military class in the Kamakura
period; an out-growth of court Bugaku and Gagaku
traditions
noshi: bundle of abalone strips or paper
used as an ornament for auspicious occasions; a
decorative motif that represents same
Obi-jime: Obi-jime is a cord tied at the front of the obi.
It makes a beutiful accent both for obi and kimono.
The cords are either braided or sewn, some are round
and others are flat and usually have tassels at
the bothe ends. The materials are silk, satin or
gold brocade. Not only for wearing kimono, obi-jime
can also be used to tie obi when they are used as
a table runner or wall hanging.
omeshi tightly woven plain weave; made with
hand-twisted, dyed thread with a firm texture
O-shima+tsumugi: variety of silk fabric made
with hand twisted threads from Amami Island (Kagoshima);
often dyed in kasuri technique with local earths;
said to be long-wearing
Rinzu: damask woven silk with repeated designs
ro: gauze weave characterized by regularly
spaced rows of either paired warp or weft threads
that are braided over center thread; compression
of threads creates openings in the plain weave;
number of plain runs between openings can vary with
degree of stiffness desired
Ro is an extremely light weight thin kimono worn
during July and August. It is made of sheer silk
which looks striped. Sha is also the representative
of sheer summer kimono which looks just like ro,
but the weaving is not stripe.
roketsu+zome: technique of hand-applied wax-resist
dying; characterized by small, broken lines where
resist has cracked and allowed dye to seep in; known
in Nara period
Saki+ori: typically, fabric with asa or cotton warps and wefts
of cotton cloth strips
sashiko: traditional form of quilting technique
used to improve the warmth and durability of garments;
employs thick cotton thread in lines of running
stiches;originally used to patch and extend the
life of clothing; later used a piori to decorate
as well as improve fabric by this means (especially
firemen's protective clothing); regional varieties
abound.
sei+gai+ha: abstract pattern formed by concentric
arcs arranged in offset rows like fish scales; arcs
always oriented above points in contrast to actual
scales
sha: stiff gauze weave with figured patterns;
braiding of threads occurs in warp and weft directions;
figures are created by changing to twill weave were
design requires
Shibori (Tie-Dye): a type of resist dyeing
in which certain areas on the cloth are reserved
from dyeing by binding dots, stiching, or clamping
and squeezing the cloth between boards. Different
from other dyeing techniques, shibori creates a
raised and wrinkled surface on the finished work.
Shibori may be machine-made or hand-made. The latter
demands a high price becauce it is such an elaborate
and intricate work. The most well-known example
is the polka dot pattern called kanokoshibori .
It is literally `fawnspots" because it looks like
the spots on fawn's back. Each dot has to be tied
tightly with thread.
Today the exacting work of shibori dyeing is carried
out in the Arimatsu Narumi area of Aichi Prefecture
and in part of Kyoto Prefecture.
Shichi-go-san: Shichi-go-san is seven-five-three
in Japanese.
It is a gala day for children of three, five and
seven years of age. On Novembr 15, parents take
their childeren to Shintoshirine to offer the prayer
for children's growth. The ages of three and five
for boys and three and seven for girls are celebrated.
on that day, the children are dressed up in a gala
kimono or fancy clothes to go to the shirines. There,
they are given thousand year candy, which is long
and thin in the paper bags with the pictures of
crane and turtles. Cranes and turtles are the symbols
of longevity.
Tome+sode: formal ko+sode for married women; typically decorated
with yuzen-dyed motifs against black ground; other
colors possible; decorative composition varies over
time
tsujigahana (crossed flowers): decorative
style that combines tie-dying and painting techniques;
employs stitched borders to reserve areas for decoration;
often suplemented by painted flowers; first popularized
in Momoyama period; dyed edges often soft and blurred;
tsukesage: informal, woman's ko+sode; characterized
by decoration composed in vertical masses at both
front and back hems
Tsukesage is worn at either formal or informal occasions
and refers to the way in which the patterns are
dyed.The patterns of hemline go upward and meet
at the top of the shoulders and the patterns on
the sleeves also are the same. As a formal wear,
it should have a crest on the back.
tsumugi: plain weave fabric; characterized
by hand twisted silk filaments made from hatched
cocoons; often results in uneven thickness of yarns;
produces a pleasant irregular look suitable for
casual wear despite its' labor intensive technique;
regional varieties exist
tsuzumi: hand-held drum; usually played by
striking with the free hand; sometimes used as textile
motif in conjunction with other instruments, but
other combinations are common
tsuzure+ori:a form of tapestry weave in which
the design threads are floated across the back of
the fabric; often used for No' costumes
Uchikake: over kimono for
indoor wear; left unbelted with trailing hem; currently
favored for wedding attire; often with padded hem,
athough not required
uchiwa: round-faced fan: has fixed frame
sandwiched between paper layers; often used as decorative
motif in its' own right
Yo+gi: oversized, padded kimono-form comforter; developed for
cold weather sleeping; often elaborately decorated
in tsu+tsu+gaki technique when it formed part of
a brides trousseau
yukata: very casual ko+sode; typically made
of cotton or other vegetable fiber; usually dyed
with indigo in kata+zome technique; traditionally
worn after a bath; nowdays, more commonly worn at
o-bon festivals in rural areas
Yukata is a summer Kimono, made with cotton with
no lining. Yukata is still loved and worn, especially
when you stay at Japanese hot spring resort or hotels.
It is roomy and cool relaxing wear. At summer festivals,
people enjoy bon-dance or fireworks in yukata and
a fan in the hand.
The most traditional designs are simple navy blue
patterns on white base or white patterns on navy
blue base. Young people enjoy yukata with both traditional
designs and modern designs by young designers.
Yuzen: one of the most famous kind of dyeing
technique of Kimono. The characteristics of "yuzen"
are its hand paintings and picturesque patterns.
The sublime beauty of Yuzen still catches the heart
of everyone.
There are two main techniques of Yuzen: "tegaki-yuzen"
(hand painted) and "kata-yuzen" (printed). Yuzen
dyeing techniques use paste as the resist for dyeing
the pattern. After the pattern is first sketched
on the cloth using a juice squeezed from spiderworts,
the paste is applied over this. Then, colors are
added to the pattern according to the dye and pigment.
Next, the completed pattern is covered with paste
and the dye is added by a brush. After the colors
are fixed, the paste is removed by waving the cloth
in the running water. The beautiful patterns remain
perfectly on the cloth. At the Kamo River in Kyoto
every year in August, you can see many Yuzen artisans
washing the rolls of the painted cloth in the running
water. It is a beautiful scenery of Kyoto in August.
Some of the various styles of "yuzen" were also
developed in different regions:
"Kaga-yuzen" (Kaga . Kanazawa) "Kyo-yuzen" (Kyoto)
"Tokamachi-yuzen" (Tokamachi . Niigata) "Nagoya-yuzen"
(Nagoya)
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