A Bibliography of resources for the information used in this class

is available upon request.

https://mononoawareheian.wordpress.com

Kosode - (Short sleeve) Traditional robe style of Heian Japan. It is also the term for the undergarment of both women and men’s clothing. Karigino - Chinese styled jacket worn over the Uwagi and Mo for formal occasions. Traditionally lined, and the collar folded out. Uwagi – The top layer uchigi. Sometimes when of higher rank it could have simple embroidery patterns woven into the cloth and/or stamped. Uchigi - The outside uchigi was called uwagi and the ones worn under it were called kasane-uchigi. The highest ranked court ladies could wear patterned silk; the ordinary court ladies wore unpatterned waves similar to modern Silk Taffeta. They were also called the itsutsuginu or kinu. Hitoe - Type of underwear, sometimes referred to as the chemise, worn beneath the uchigi and over the kosode and hakama or nagabakama. It is the first visible layer. Nagabakama - (divided skirt) Formal version of hakama worn by court women. Mo - Train or apron-skirt worn over the juni-hitoe for formal occasions. It was considered very formal and was required of women of the court while on official duty

One of the most interesting, yet complex aspects of getting dressed in the Heian Noble Lady’s

Karaginu Mo, is the actual act of getting dressed. When we were researching the garments, we

kept noticing an extreme attention to detail on how the robes lined up, how they were wrapped, the

adjustments made to the collar, differences in how the robes were draped depending upon how

many layers, and whether or not the Robes of State (the Karaginu and Mo) were adorned. All of

this lead to further research, consultations with multiple museums who have used the robes and

with delving into the many historical documents available.

Dressing in Fashion In order to get the layers to sit properly, one has to dress a certain way. Each

robe is dressed, tied, the next robe dressed, the tie undone and transferred to the top and tied… and so forth. It is best to see, to understand and we invite you to come watch us as we dress if you happen to know we are going to be wearing full court garb.

Simplistic yet ritualistic assembly of dress would go in the following order:

Undergarments

o Kosode (White, unlined) Wrap left side over the right.

o Nagabakama (Long Hakama, traditionally Madder Red, sometimes Deep green

or purple. You would tie the Nagabakama after wraping the belt twice to the left

side of the lady. Securing the Kosode.

Hitoe – the ‘chemise’ layer, it is stiffened and unlined so that it will stand away from the

body to help airflow. It is the first visible layer of color during Heian Era.

o Take a dressing chord (kuminimo) and tie this layer into position with all collars

aligned correctly, sleeves shaken out, tie once, tight, have assistant hold while

you put on next layer

Uchigi – kansane uchigi – the lined or unlined middle robes, often a variety of colors, and

can be no more than 5 including the top robe the Uwagi.

o The next robe is put on the Lady, fitted, and then wrapped, when the rapping is

started, the Prime Lady in Waiting, will hold the tie, untie It with one hand, hand

an end around to the Second Lady in Waiting and the Second will pull the chord

around while the Prime folds the robes closed and holds them tight, taking the

chord and tieing it over the robes.

o You then straighten and align all the edges including checking the hemlines and

continue forward this way with all of the robes until you get to the end.

My must humble thanks to Mistress Kasha for constantly allowing me

to use her as a model to dress each time I teach this class. You are a

wonder!

Dressing a Heian Lady Instructor: Baroness Jahan Ara bint al-Yehya amat al-Hafeeza (sayyida.jahanara@gmail.com)

Assistant in dressing - Fujinami no Kaede-sama (THL) (fujinami.no.kaede@gmail.com) Model: Mistress Kasha Alekseeva

Karaginu with unlined robes (Photo by Griffin, Costume Museum, 2009)