Japanese clothing

By Melissa Torres,

Rubi Verastegui,

George Ramirez

Yukata

A yukata is a cooling garment to wear. Like other forms of clothing based on traditional Japanese garments, it is made with straight seams and wide sleeves. Unlike formal kimono, yukata are typically made of cotton rather than silk or synthetic fabric, and they are unlined. Traditionally yukata were mostly made of indigo-dyed cotton but today a wide variety of colors and designs is available. Like the more formal kimono, the general rule is the younger the person, the brighter the color and bolder the pattern. A child might wear a multicolored print and a young woman, a floral print, while an older woman would confine herself to a traditional dark blue with geometric patterns. Since the late 1990s, yukata have experienced a bit of a revival, and many young women now wear them in summer in personally distinctive ways not limited by tradition. This garment is very traditional The proper way to wear a yukata is not necessarily obvious. The left side of the yukata is wrapped over the right side (the reverse is to be avoided as only the dead at a funeral wears the right over the left), and an obi (belt) is used to keep the yukata from falling open when worn in public. In private, as after a bath, the yukata is usually simply belted. Also, a type of thonged wooden sandal called geta is usually worn with the yukata.

Jinbei

The jinbei is a kind of traditional Japanese clothing worn by men and boys during the summer. Jinbei sets consist of a top and matching shorts.Traditional jinbei are made from hemp or cotton and dyed a uniform color, often blue or green, though modern jinbei frequently have prints ranging from simple textures or lines to complicated and colorful floral patterns. The top resembles short-sleeved or sleeveless jacket that falls to the hips. It ties closed both inside and outside the jacket. Traditional jinbei are often worn as a substitute for yukata when attending summer festivals, typically by men and boys but also frequently by young women. Ladies' jinbei tend to be more brightly colored and often feature prints of popular culture characters.

Samue

Made from cotton or linen and traditionally dyed brown or indigo to distinguish them from formal vestments, samue are worn by monks performing labour duty such as temple maintenance and field work. In modern times they have become popular as general casual or work wear. Shakuhachi players today, because of the instrument's historical association with Zen Buddhism, sometimes wear samue

kimono

Kimonos are T-shaped, straight-lined robes that fall to the ankle, with collars and wide, full-length sleeves. Traditionally, unmarried women wore a style of kimono called furisode which have floor-length sleeves, on special occasions.Kimonos are wrapped around the body, always with the left side over the right (except when dressing the dead for burial and secured by a wide belt called an obi, which is tied at the back. Kimonos are generally worn with traditional footwear (especially geta, thonged wood-platform footwear; and zori, a type of thong-like footwear) and split-toe socks (tabi).Today, kimonos are most often worn by women, and on special occasions. A few older women and even fewer men still wear kimonos on a daily basis. Men wear kimonos most often at wedding, tea ceremonies, and other very special or very formal occasions. Kimonos are also worn by both men and women in certain sports, such as kendo. Professional sumo wrestlers are often seen in kimonos because they are required to wear traditional Japanese dress whenever appearing in public citation needed].Kimono hobbyists in Japan can take courses on how to put on and wear kimonos. Classes cover selecting seasonally and event-appropriate patterns and fabrics, matching the kimono undergarments and accessories to the kimono, layering the undergarments according to subtle meanings, selecting and tying obi, and other topics. There are also clubs devoted to kimono culture, such as Kimono de Ginza.

History

During the Jomon Period (13000 BC to 300 BC), the inhabitants of the Japanese islands were gatherers, fishers and hunters. Jomon is the name of the era's pottery. During the Yayoi Period (300 BC to 300 AD), the rice culture was imported into Japan around 100 BC. With the introduction of agriculture, social classes started to evolve, and parts of the country began to unite under powerful land owners. Chinese travellers during the Han and Wei dynasties reported that a queen called Himiko (or Pimiku) reigned over Japan at that time. The Yayoi period brought also the introduction of iron and other modern ideas from Korea into Japan. Again, its pottery gave the period its name.