Background of Japanese Fashion

Do you know? Traditional Japanese fashion encompasses colour palettes developed in the Heian period, silhouettes adopted from Tang dynasty clothing and cultural traditions, motifs taken from Japanese culture, nature and traditional literature, and styles of wearing primarily fully-developed by the end of the Edo period. The most well-known form of traditional Japanese fashion is the kimono, translating literally as "something to wear" or "thing worn on the shoulders".

Present day, the Imperial household still uses the costumes of the Heian period for the formal occasions of coronations and weddings!

Nara Period

Year: 710 -794

The capital at Nara was modeled after Chang'an, the capital city of the Tang dynasty. In many other ways, the Japanese upper classes patterned themselves after the Chinese, including adopting the Chinese writing system, a Chinese version of Buddhism and of course, Chinese fashion. Chinese fashion, specifically Tang Dynasty’s fashion trends continued to influence the Japanese throughout the Nara Period.

During the Nara and the previous Asuka periods, techniques for dyeing silk were developed. Clothing consisted of many pieces including upper and lower garments, jackets, a front skirt, and a back skirt.


Heian Period

Year: 1185 - 1333

The Heian Period was the longest, most stable period of Japanese history, lasting nearly 400 years. The time period is named of the capital Heian, now the city of Kyoto. The Heian period is also considered the peak of the Japanese imperial court and noted for its art, especially poetry and literature - a period of luxury and opulence. This was when the Japanese traditional kimono first appeared due to the government’s ban on trade and diplomacy with China. Transition from Chinese influenced fashion to Japanese’s own can be observed from early to mid period.

The most well-known clothing of the Heian period is the jūnihitoe (十二単, "twelve layers"), more formally and historically known as the itsutsuginu-karaginu-mo (五衣唐衣裳), is a style of formal court dress first worn in the Heian period by noble women and ladies-in-waiting at the Japanese Imperial Court. Each layer has seasonal elements, including the colors of different seasons, flowers, animals and so on. Different patterns are worn for different occasions. It is said that in the past some nobles wore over 20 layers which made it impossible for them to walk.

Fun fact: the jūnihitoe weighs around 10kg!

Kamakura Period: Emergence of Samurai

Year: 1185 – 1333
The Kamakura period (鎌倉時代, Kamakura jidai) period is known for the emergence of the samurai, the warrior caste as well as the establishment of feudalism in Japan.

With the rise of the samurai class to power and the total eclipse of the Emperor's court, an interesting shift in fashion occurred. The extreme dress of the Heian court had become restrained in the late Heian period (women were restricted to only five layers for ordinary occasions). Women of this new ruling class took up a version of the courtly formal wear of their predecessors, as a way of displaying their education and refinement, but wore fewer layers as a sign of their frugality and practical-minded nature.

Muromachi Period

Year: 1338 - 1573
The Muromachi period (室町時代, Muromachi jidai, also known as the Muromachi era, the Ashikaga era, or the Ashikaga period). Aristocratic culture of the Heian period decayed and the Samurai gained power. Clothes were modified to be simpler and easier to move around in to fit the more active lifestyle of the Samurai.

Women abandoned the wide-sleeved Heian-inspired layers once and for all, wearing only the white kosode where they also devised new ways of wearing. Two new styles were particularly significant: the katsugu and uchikake styles. The katsugu style is a kosode designed to be worn on the head, like a veil, while the uchikake mode is a call back to the tradition of additional layers to increase formality, and was thus popular among the higher-ranked ladies of the samurai class. Katsugu would continue to be worn for centuries before eventually dying off, while uchikake are still worn in modern times, but are only seen in bridal ensembles.

Muromachi Period kimono had wider body panels and narrower sleeves, which fell lower on the arm than both modern kimono and kimono predating Muromachi Period kimono.

Azuchi-Momoyama Period

Year: 1568 - 1600
Azuchi-Momoyama period, also called Momoyama Period happened during a political unification under the daimyo Oda Nobunaga and his successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi that brought all provinces under the control of the central government. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who first unified Japan after the Muromachi government lost control, was a great lover of Noh theatrical art which led to Noh costumes becoming light and colorful, reflecting the trends of Hideyoshi's time. Noh performances were popularly held by samurai and at temples and shrines from the Muromachi Period - it declined after the Onin civil war (1467-77), Noh became popular again in the Azuchi-Momoyama period, mainly among samurai.

Artisans and craftsmen also unraveled the secrets of how to weave both thick silk brocades thin crepes, damasks and satins, resulting in a large number of new artistic palettes for dyers, painters, embroiderers without having to import the fabric from China.

Edo Period

Year: 1603 - 1867
The Edo period (江戸時代, Edo jidai) or Tokugawa period (徳川時代, Tokugawa jidai) was characterised by economic growth, strict social order, isolationist foreign policies, a stable population, "no more wars", and popular enjoyment of arts and culture. Fashion was very important for both women and men in Japan. Ladies wore exquisite kimonos made of silk and brocade, and elaborate hairstyles were adorned with exquisite hair ornaments. In kabuki plays, actors appeared on stage in dazzling costumes.

During this period, commerce and industry developed rapidly. Merchants began to have more power than the Samurai. Better dyeing techniques were developed. The "Yuzen" dyeing technique (a dye-resist dyeing process) was developed and became popular because any color could be used and could dye many different complex patterns such as flowers and birds. Kimono were now made of multicolored, highly decorated fabric, and were worn in a single layer. The belt, or obi, which until this time period was tied in the front, was now tied in the back.

Preferred shape for women during this era is cylindrical instead of hourglass; passings were added to the shoulders the waist was too narrow. Kimonos were square cut with rectangular sleeves instead of bell cut. Extra layers began to return into clothing tightened around the knees to mimic tiny steps.

Meiji Period

Year: 1868 - 1912
The Meiji era (明治, Meiji) was when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization by Western powers to the new paradigm of a modern, industrialized nation state heavily influenced by Western scientific, technological, philosophical, political, legal, and aesthetic ideas.

Japanese clothing during the Meiji period was significantly different in comparison to earlier periods. During this time, Western-style fashion (yofuku) was introduced into the government, indicating a move to modernity. During the Meiji period, certain jobs required Western-style uniform, starting with the Japanese government in 1872. Western-style dress thus became associated with elitism, modernity, and money. Japanese socialites were also participating in lavish balls in Western-style evening gowns and tuxedos. By the 1880s, both men and women had more or less adopted Western fashions. By 1890, men were wearing Western suits although it was still not the norm, and Western-style attire for women was still limited to the high nobility and wives of diplomats.

Kimonos continued to dominate in the early Meiji period, and men and women combined Japanese kimonos with Western accessories. For instance, for formal occasions, men wore Western-style hats with haori, a traditional waistcoat, hakama, an outer garment worn over the kimono that is either split like pants between the legs or non-split like a skirt.