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[ BUY ]
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[ SIZE ]
7. How to find your kimono size?
7.Men…if the size from your shoulder to your ankle and kimono size are about the same, a kimono will fit you.
Women…if your height and kimono size are about the same, a kimono will fit you..
8. To distinguish a man’s or woman kimono you should,
8.look at the sleeves of the kimonos.
Men’s kimono…sleeves hang down only about 5 cm.
Women’s kimono… sleeves hang down about 30 cm.
9. What is length of a kimono in accord with my height?
9. For women, it will be right size if a kimono length and your height are nearly the same.
For men, it will be right size if a kimono length and your length from your shoulder and your ankle are the same.
[ THE KIND OF KIMONO]
10. Suso-moyo
10.“Hem design” of Late Edo, in which the ornamentation is confined to the lower portion of the skirt in reflection both of sumptuary restrictions and of the shift of fashion attention to the obi.
11. Juni-hitoe
11.“Twelve single layers.” The classical feminine court dress of the Heian period, consisting of multiple osode worn over a single inner kosode. The osode were dyed in differing colors, and the interplay and contrast of colors at the cuffs, neck, and hem, varied to suit the season and the individual taste of the wearer, was the primary focus of decorative interest.
12. Hakama
12. A full trouser-like garment of many variations, also resembling a divided skirt; formerly worn by both men and women, but now used only on highly ceremoniall locations, and primarily by men.
13. Kimono for September
13. We go back to a Hitoe kimono in September. It is the same type of kimono as in May and June.
14. Kimono for July and August
14. We wear a thin kimono during these months which is usually the hottest time of year in Japan. A dyed kimono is called Ro or Sha. And woven kimono is Hemp or Tsumugi.
15. Natsu-Hitoe
15. A Hitoe (a kimono does not have lining) kimono for the time of between the end of May to in the middle of Jun.
16. Kimono for May and June
16. We wear a kimono which is the same material as AWASE, but does not have a lining.
And we tie a summer obi. Also, we wear a Nagajuban or Haneri of ro or sha material during this time.
17. Kimono for autumn, winter and spring (October to May)
17. We wear an Awase kimono(a kimono with lining) during this season.
When it is cool or cold, we wear a haori over our kimono. However, in the middle of April, we do not wear a haori.
18. Kimono for summer season
18. We wear a cotton kimono or hemp kimono in summer such as, ro, sha, chijimi, hitoe (a kimono without lining) etc.
19. Wool Kimono
19. A Kimono which is made of wool. It can be woven with only wool (both of warp and weft are wool) or it can be silk and wool.
They are called “tsumugi”, “kasuri” or “omeshi”. They are called by different names depending on how they are woven. Most of them are woven, but they have coloring, too.
20. Wedding furisode
20. At the Japanese wedding ceremony, a bride wears an uchikake at first and then changes her uchikake to a wedding furisode.
This change of clothes is called “OIRONAOSHI”
21. Shiromuku
21. It is a pure white bridal kimono. SHIRO means white.
22. Uchikake
22. The official name is iro uchikake. IRO means “color”.
It is a Japanese traditional colorful wedding kimono for the bride.
23. Kakeshita
23. A kimono which is worn under an Uchikake is called a kakeshita. It is like a wedding furisode, but the difference between a Kakeshita and wedding furisode is, Kakeshitas are more simple in design, patterned only on sleeves and hem or small pattern on all of it, or just plain.
A Kakeshita needs an obi but an Uchikake does not.
24. What is Komon?
24. It is a kimono which is worn for fashion and street clothes. As well as big patterns and small patterns, the same design is repeated, and a design does not have top and bottom of a total design.
25. What is Komon?
25. It is a kimono which is worn for fashion and street clothes. As well as big patterns and small patterns, the same design is repeated, and a design does not have top and bottom of a total design.
26. What is Iro muji?
26. It is a kimono which is dyed only one color without a pattern of wide range that you can wear any occasions.
It is unlike various design coloring.
27. What is a Tsukesage?
27.It is a kimono which is slightly different dyeing and make from a houmongi. A characteristic of a tsukesage is a pattern is not connected from a body of a dress or shoulder to a sleeve and is worn on a place of society.
28. What is a Houmongi?
28.It is a kimono which is dyed like a drawing on its shoulder, collar and sleeve or whole over a kimono.
It is a total design of kimono for unmarried and married women and is worn on a place of society.
29. What is an Iro Tomesode?
29.Tomesode is a very formal kimono which is for married woman. A back ground color of Iro Tomesode is not black. A family crest is a nothing crest, three crests and five crests. It is a formal dress.
30. What is a Furisode?
30.It is a kimono for unmarried woman and its sleeves are long. It is worn on a formal occasion and sometimes on a place of society. It is a formal so that a sleeve is long.
31. What is Kuro Tomesode?
31.It is a black kimono and has a family crest on its back, their both chests and both outside sleeve.
And there are patterns on its bottom.
32. What is a TSUMUGI?
32.TUMUGI is a silk fabric which came out of private use of a farmer. Mainly it is a simple pattern such as a carapace of a turtle or a cross.
[ THE KIND OF OBI]
33. What is a Kaku obi?
33.It is an obi for man that width is about 10cm. There are in various ways such as nishikiori, hakataori, monori, tumugiji, aiori etc.
34. What is a heko obi?
34.It is an obi which for man and can put it on to everyday kimono or yukata.
It is about 70cm in width and about 4m in length. There are “sou shibori” and “hashi shibori”.
When you put it on fold it into about 10cm in width.
For children use is called “sanjaku obi”. There are boy use and girl use. It is put on to yukata or everyday kimono.
35. What is a Hanhaba obi?
35.It is an obi that width is made to half of a normal obi, about 15cm. It can put on without using obiage and obijime.
You can put it on to a yukata or everyday kimono..
36. What is a Nagoya obi?
36.It is a type of obi and possible to put on for a rather formal to casual. A width of Nagoya obi is not equal, and is folded into half on the way. Because it is folded into half, easy to prepare and use. There are two types of nagoya obi, “ORI-OBI” and “SOME-OBI”.
An obi which has a pattern in the whole is called “ZENTSUGARA”. An obi which has a pattern from an edge to about 180cm is called “ROKUTSUGARA” and an obi which has pattern on a part of a knot and a part of the front is called “OTAIKOGARA”.
37. What is a Fukuro obi?
37.It is an obi put on for formal, which simplified of maru-obi. It puts on with a furisode, tomesode, homongi, tsukesage or iromuji. There is a pattern only surface, and lining has no pattern.
An obi which has a pattern in the whole is called “ZENTSUGARA”. An obi which has a pattern from an edge to about 180cm is called “ROKUTSUGARA” and an obi which has pattern on a part of a knot and a part of the front is called “OTAIKOGARA”.
38. What is a Maru obi?
38.It is a type of obi has patterns on its both sides and a width is the same. As it has patterns both sides, it is very gorgeous. Nowadays it is worn with a tomesode, a hurisode for a bride or maiko.
[ ANTIQUE ]
39. Yogi
39.“Night clothing.” Not actually an item of apparel but rather a sleeved coverlet, resembling a heavily padded kimono in cut and construction but intended to be thrown over the bedding rather than worn.
40. Kosode
40.“Small sleeves.” A kimono having narrow hand-openings at the ends of the sleeves, so named to distinguish it from the osode (“large sleeves”), the broad-cuffed mult-layered outer garments of classicalcourt dress. The kosode was originally an under-garment; a similar kimono comprised the everyday wear of common people. During the feudal period of Japanese history, beginning with the Kamakura period (1185-1392), the kosode was gradually adopted as the outer garment of the samurai class as well. By Momoyama (1568-1615) and Edo (1615-1868) it had become the usual outer attire of women of all urban classes. The kosode is the forerunner of the kimono of today.
41. Kokechi
41.“Tie-resist.” The classical Japanese term for tie-dye, now more generally called shibori. For the origin of the term, see catalogue 12. For anearly examplefrom the Nara period, 710-794, preserved in the shoos-in repository in Nara, Cf. rokechi, kyokechi.
42. Gosho-toki
42.“Views of the Imperial Palace.” A Late Edo decorative style for kimono based on scenes of the gardens of the Imperial Palace in Kyoto and often incorporating pavilions, bamboo fences, ox carts, and other elements evocative of the glorious aristocratic days of Heian Japan. The style is a rich one, the entire surface being colored with abundant detail done largely in embroidery; yet the aura of refined nostalgia is reinforced by restrained execution, so that the effect is of polished elegance.
44. TAKEDA DOLL (TAKEDA NINGYO) ?
43.Takeda Ningyo is a very mysterious and magical doll; it seems it could begin to move at any moment.
You will feel a sense of humor of the Edo era and it is simply understand that it was a doll of a play.The head of Taketa Ningyo is very superior.
It is thought that a head of Takeda Ningyo was made by an expert who constructed a head of a Joruri Ningyo which is a famous Japanese doll.
Because it is made by a number of craftsmen which fit the costume and the hands and feet, the whole doll is a fusion of wild and delicate work.
When you see Takeda Ningyo you will gain a rich appreciation of these dolls through their originality.
Takeda Ningyo is the only doll which was made in Naniwa (Osaka) and it catches the movement of a mechanism doll.
Because there was a low volume of production, the scarcity value of Takeda Ningyo is very high. And now it deserves to be put it in an art museum.
45. What is a SARASA?
45.Sarasa was handed down to Japan after the Muromachi era. Generally Indian Persia Siam Java saraca are known and call even another name of batik. It was dyed with a freehand drawing by ROUKETSU or dyed with a xylograph or a copperplate type by cotton.
This cloth with really scarcity value was loved by masters of tea ceremony, and it was used for things in a pouch such as TSUKOU. A technique of Sarasa dyeing came in the middle of Edo era, and Wasarasa was born hereby. As there was not Indian dye, use a substitute and a dyeing stencil for a pattern. It was technique of stencil.
46. What is a FUKUSA?
46.FUKUSA is a square cloth made with a silk and uses it when we take a ceremonious present. Originally it was used to avoid dusts on a top of a box put valuables in. But it becomes to be used as a dust guard of a journey when we take a ceremonious presents, and we cannot miss it today.
[ TECHNIQUE ]
47. Shibori or shibori-zome
47.Tie-dye. Shibori includes a great number and variety of techniques, not all of which are illustrated here. Together with starch resist dye (yuzen-zome, chaya-tsuji, somenuki), with which it shares the characteristic of preventing the application of color where unwanted, tie-dye served as one of the two principle elements of the flexible and spectacular Edo decorative style. See details under boshi-shibori, hitome-shibori, nuishime-shibori, so-hitta, and tsujigahana.
48. Nuishime-shibori
48.Drawn-stitch tie-dye, a technique in which areas to be protected from (or, conversely, exposed to) the dye bath were first carefully outlined with fine stitches. The stitches were then tightly drawn up so that the area to be protected (or exposed) was quite precisely gathered up, after which further protection could be achieved by wrapping with a bamboo sheath or other protective material. Development of such a method depended upon the availability of sufficiently supple ground materials. In use from the sixteenth century onward, it permitted far more precise results than earlier methods in which the cloth was simply bunched up and tied, and led to the development of further refinements such as boshi-shibori (q.v.).
49. Mokume-shibori
49.“Wood-grain tie-dye.” Achieved by gathering the material with fine parallel rows of horizontal stitching, rather like shirring. The stitches were drawn up very tightly, in order to prevent the dye from penetrating into the folds.
50. SHIJIRA-ORI
50.It is a textile of cotton which was dyed with an indigo plant. It is a textile for summer season and there are wrinkles like shrank lengthwise.
It is called "AWACHIJIMI" or "NISHIKICHIJIMI".
51. ATSUSHI ORI
51.This is a thick strong textile which was woven by an IZARI-BATA (a wooden machine) and material is fibers of OHYO or SHINANOKI.
Ainu used it for clothes. It has embroidery or patchwork of common Ainu pattern. The color is natural.
52. What is a Roketsu dyed?
52.It is a kimono. A process of it is drawing patterns with melted wax and dyed fabric. Then wax off so the pattern will appear. It is worn as a kimono of a hobby.
47. Shibori or shibori-zome
47.Tie-dye. Shibori includes a great number and variety of techniques, not all of which are illustrated here. Together with starch resist dye (yuzen-zome, chaya-tsuji, somenuki), with which it shares the characteristic of preventing the application of color where unwanted, tie-dye served as one of the two principle elements of the flexible and spectacular Edo decorative style. See details under boshi-shibori, hitome-shibori, nuishime-shibori, so-hitta, and tsujigahana.
53. What is a Bokashi dyed?
53. It is a kimono which dyed gradually shades off a color of the base of a kimono from dark color to light color. Or dyed gradually shades off to white. It is normally worn as a semi formal dress.
54. What is a YUMIHAMA KASURI?
54.original patterns which cost imminent quality in a motif because it was woven as private use.
It is strength of Yumihamakasuri that it can make a line of delicate roundness as it makes Kasuri thread with form to copy the sketch which is in actual size. Various patterns such as a crane and tortoise, or scenery or ICHIFUJI-NITAKA-SANNASUBI of luck were produced by the technique
Yumihamakasuri is produced in Yonago, Tottori.
55. What is a BINGO KASURI?
55.Bingokasuri is produced in Hiroshima. Igeta pattern is a character of Bingokasuri. A designer of a pattern is Tomita Hisasaburo and he paid attention and studied to Shimamomen which was weaving already from the end of Edo era, and he succeeded in weaving of Tateyokonoheiyougasuri.
As it is a bold pattern so it spread out immediately. Its golden age was from the end of Meiji era to the Taisho era.
56. What is a KURUME KASURI?
56.In 2000, it will have been 200 years since Kurumekasuri was appeared in Southern Fukuoka.
Kurumekasuri is weaved with cotton yarn of indigo dyeing by pattern craftsmen very carefully. It is produced by an indigo plant and white contrast. It is very simple and also very beautiful with skill.
And it is a simple taste of natural. This is a Kurumekasuri.
57. What is a SAKIORI?
57.SAKIORI is a textile woven made with old clothes that are tore. “Saki” means “to tear” in English.
Keep old clothes you do not need anymore and tear them up with about 1cm each and uses it for a weaving thread. I use the thread for the pillar and use the tore clothes as a horizontal thread. For a vertical thread was used for normal cotton threads. Because completed cloth is very thick, and it is very strong, so it was for a farm cloth, rug and everyday cloth in winter. But mostly it was for Obi.
58. What is TSUTSUGAKI?
58.TSUTSUGAKI is a name of dyeing technique. It was prosper from the middle of Edo era to the Meiji era.
Firstly, moisten cloth and put cotton cloth next and put the paste which was made from rice in a pipe and picture a design. And dries it well at outside under the sun and becomes the part which is not dyed.
Then put the cotton cloth again and dye into the cloth and then dry it enough when you finish dyeing.
Next, drop paste by a current water carefully and lastly wash away dye and dry it under the sun. I omitted the complicated process but tsutsugaki is made by taking a lot of time to make it.
47. Shibori or shibori-zome
47.Tie-dye. Shibori includes a great number and variety of techniques, not all of which are illustrated here. Together with starch resist dye (yuzen-zome, chaya-tsuji, somenuki), with which it shares the characteristic of preventing the application of color where unwanted, tie-dye served as one of the two principle elements of the flexible and spectacular Edo decorative style. See details under boshi-shibori, hitome-shibori, nuishime-shibori, so-hitta, and tsujigahana.
47. Shibori or shibori-zome
47.Tie-dye. Shibori includes a great number and variety of techniques, not all of which are illustrated here. Together with starch resist dye (yuzen-zome, chaya-tsuji, somenuki), with which it shares the characteristic of preventing the application of color where unwanted, tie-dye served as one of the two principle elements of the flexible and spectacular Edo decorative style. See details under boshi-shibori, hitome-shibori, nuishime-shibori, so-hitta, and tsujigahana.
59. What is BINGATA?
59.BINGATA is a name of dyed fabric representing Okinawa with a colorfully-dyed pattern. The origin is said it was dyed by a technique of SURIKOMI as for an old style women’s formal dress around SYURI, URAZOE and RYUKYUOHFU (Okinawa). After that, in the 14-15th century it was introduced dying technology from China or Java such as a technique of Chinese BINGATA etc. by overseas trade with the southeastern Asian whole area.
As took in technology of every Oriental culture, it was brought up naturally in the climate where Okinawa and was born original technique of Okinawa.
60. What is a SHIBORI?
60.Shibori dyed is a representative thing of the way to dye and textile and that was already performed at the time in the sixth century, in the seventh century in Japan. As for the technique, make "points" and "wrinkles" by tying up a fabric strongly with thread. A part tied up with a thread is not dyed.
Such technique was used in various countries in the world from old days.
61. Why is a Tsuzure-ori so high-quality?
61.I can say in anything, price of products are decided by the time a product was needed to make it. In a case of Tsuzure-ori, especially called Hontsuzure of Tsume-ori, it is a hand made and needs much more time to make it than other textiles. (It takes about 4 days to make a no patterned about 4.8 meters Nagoya-obi.)
I cannot say unconditionally, because it is different how long an item needed to made and it is depend on how a design’s detail. But if a pattern is very detailed, it will take about 2 months or 3 months.
Let’s see calculations of money, if a craftsman makes 8000 yen for a daily allowance and multiply 3 months (90 days), 720000 yen. Of course have to add materials fees, thread and dyeing fees, design fees and device fee of a weaver; it will be almost around 1,000,000 yen
47. Shibori or shibori-zome
47.Tie-dye. Shibori includes a great number and variety of techniques, not all of which are illustrated here. Together with starch resist dye (yuzen-zome, chaya-tsuji, somenuki), with which it shares the characteristic of preventing the application of color where unwanted, tie-dye served as one of the two principle elements of the flexible and spectacular Edo decorative style. See details under boshi-shibori, hitome-shibori, nuishime-shibori, so-hitta, and tsujigahana.
62. What is a TSUZURE-ORI?
62.Tsuzure-ori is a kind of textile pattern. It is wrote「TSUZURE ORI」in Kanji. Also it is called Tsuzure Nishiki.
It is the same type of Kobuto-ori of Egypt or Goburan-ori of France and it changed from Hira-ori. Hira-ori is the most basic weave way and the technique is weaving one length and one breadth alternation like making gauze.
63. What is YUZEN?
63.YUZEN is a colorful hand dyeing technique. In the middle of the Edo era (1678), there was a man called Miyazaki Yuzen who lived by the Kyoto Chion-in Temple. His ordinary job was a fan illustrator. He became a famous and sensation to draw a picture peculiar to him, and got a lot of orders. As well as a fan, he got many orders to dye on kosode etc. He became a popular dyer from a fan illustrator.
Before Yuzen dyeing appeared, there were only expression methods such as embroidering, sticking foil, and Shibori dyeing etc. These methods took silk original feel of a material. Compare to these, Yuzen dyeing was very epoch-making technique as it could dye as you like drawing a picture. Yuzen uses many colors; therefore it needed to keep out from blotting. To avoid blotting paste of rice was used. This technique was known before, but Mr. Miyazaki improved the technology/ technique/ dyeing/. And Yuzen dyeing was improved because Mr. Yamazaki was very superior, as for his technique and talent, Yuzen dyeing would be develop.
64. What is a KATAZOME?
64.KATAZOME is a stencil dyeing. There are some patterns. One pattern is dye in a carved paper and the other way is take out color in a carved paper.
[ PATTERN ]
65. Houou(Chinese phoenix) and a phoenix
65.Are they the same? No. Both are often used to pattern kimonos. But, they are different.
Houou…is a Chinese phoenix. A mythical Chinese bird, thought to have been introduced to Japan.
The phoenix has a bird's beak, a swallow's jaw, and a snake's neck; the front half of its body is thought to resemble a giraffe, the back half a deer. Its back resembles a tortoise, and its tail is like a fish.
They have the distinction between male and female and lay eggs.
The phoenix is an Egyptian phoenix. An Egyptian phoenix is classified as a Raptor(bird of prey), and it is said to be unisexual as either male or female.
66. SHOUCHIKUBAI
66.(Pine, bamboo, and ume blossom)
In Japan, Shouchikubai is a popular pattern of kimono, a combination of pine (matsu), bamboo (take) and plum blossom(ume), sometimes in green, red and/or white, which is usually associated with celebrations.
In China, pine, bamboo and ume blossom have been consecrating because they are strong and endure in even very cold winter season.
The order of these trees is considered to be a pine, bamboo and plum blossom.
Pine… All season stay green, even in a winter. Pine is a symbol of perpetual youth and longevity.
Bamboo…Grow very fast, strong propagation. Bamboo is a symbol of the prosperity.
Ume blossom… They bloom in an early spring. Because the kanji of the ume blossom contains a letter of mother, this has the meaning of the prosperity and the maturity of a woman.
67. What is a TSUJIGAHANA?
67.Tsujigahana is a name of shibori kimono (kosode) which was made from the middle of Muromachi era to the beginning of Edo era. At the beginning Tsujigahana was popular for using shibori dying technique but it was became adding drawing picture, embroidering or putting gold leaf on it at the time of the Momoyama era.
Till then, it was used a very simple shibori technique but it changes to use various techniques and became more complicated pattern.
Tsujigahana was worn by women and young common people and gradually it was worn by men as a kosode. In the Muromachi era, it was worn by upper class or also samurai.
[ MATERIAL ]
68. Somewake
68.“Dye-separation.” A particolor dyeing technique in which the ground is separated into a number of distinct areas or panels dyed in complementary or contrasting background colors. The technique is particularly associated with the particolor style known as Keicho somewake (q.v.), a style developed in the Keicho era, 1596-1615, and popular through the middle of the seventeenth century.
69. Shusu
69. Plain (unfigured) satin; cf. rinzu. For an example of shusu as the material for a kimono.
70. Sha
70.A light, somewhat stiff silk gauze, introduced from China at a very early stage and woven throughout Japanese history down to the present day.
The basic construction is the plain gauze weave, in which the positions of each pair of warp yarns are transposed after the insertion of each successive weft. The wefts are thus tightly held by each pair of criss-crossing warps; whence the characteristic crispness of the fabric. Variations of the basic gauze weave permit the introduction of a great variety of woven patterns, some of great complexity; Cf. ra, ro.
71. Ro
71. A soft silk gauze woven with a combination of plain and gauze weaves, sometimes referred to as a leno wave. In contrast to ra and sha (q.v.), which were woven in Japan in the Nara period (710-794) and earlier, ro is a comparatively later material. Softer and more pliant than sha, it was popular for summer kosode during the Edo period and remains in use today.
The basic construction is a plain weave with periodic horizontal or vertical rows of open “eyes” created by gauze weave. In “horizontal” yoko-ro the “eyes” are created by wraps after each set of three, five, seven, or nine plain-woven wefts; in “vertical” tate-ro selected pairs of warps are transposed after each weft insertion, the remainder of the warps being left in plain-weave position. Variations of the basic weave permit the introduction of woven patterns.
72. Rinzu
72.A monochrome figured satin-weave silk imported in substantial quantities from Ming China in Momoyama and Early Edo, and subsequently woven in Japan after development of the twisting machinery required for production of the high-quality warp yarns. Though rinzu is often referred to as “damask,” it is not a true damask since the pattern is not reversible; that is, it appears on only one side of the material.
A marvelously supple and lustrous material, rinzu was ideally suited to the sensuous drape of the kosode and to the newly developed tie-dye and resist methods which formed the basic repertoire of Edo decorative technique. Its suitability and adaptability are well attested by the fact that it is the material most frequently used in the kimono of the present collection.
Many Early Edo kosode, and doubtless some of those shown here, were made of rinzu imported from China. The typical woven decoration was the key-fret pattern of interconnected oblique swastikas (saya-gata), on which were frequently superimposed stylized floral motifs based on the combination of orchid and chrysanthemum (rangiku). Subsequently, as Japanese weavers gained more familiarity and practice with the technique, other and often more elaborate patterns were developed.
73. Ra
73.An extremely light, net-like, fancy silk gauze, finer and more complex than sha, introduced from China at least as early as the seventh century. Several examples from the Nara period (710-794) are preserved in the Shoso-in repository in Nara; but the material seems to have been little called for in the succeeding Heian period, and apparently the extremely complex weaving technique was lost until its rediscovery in the late nineteenth century.
The basic construction is a plain alternating gauze weave in which the members of each pair of warps are transposed not only with each other (as in sha) but also with members of the adjacent pairs on either side, such transpositions being performed after the insertion of each successive weft. The result is a very light gauze which on casual examination looks more like a fancy knit than a woven fabric. Variations of the basic weave permit the introduction of woven motifs, of which various combinations of vertical lozenges are the most common since the weave lends itself most readily to the creation of diagonals. Cf. ro, sha.
74. Kinran
74.Gold brocade. The gold is incorporated through the use inn the weft of “flat gold,” very thin yarn-like strips cut from a laminate of gold foil lacquered to tough paper. The technique was developed in Sung China but was not brought to Japan until the late sixteenth century; earlier examples were all imported.
75. RASHA
75. It is a woolen thick textile woven with woolen yarn. There are some types of weaving such as HIRA-ORI, AYA-ORI, and SHUSU-ORI etc. It is imported to Japan in the end of the Muromachi era. The word of RASHA is turned from Portuguese “raxa”. Because it is durable; it was used for JINBAORI or a jacket of the firefighter. After the Meiji era, it was produced a lot in Japan, and it was used
76. MIYAKO JOFU
76.Miyako johu is a high-quality textile for summer. It is a hemp textile with kasuri pattern and bluish ground, woven in Miyako Island in Okinawa. In 1583, Inaishi, the wife of Mr. Shinei Shimoji who was the government officer, wove “Miyako jofu” and presented it to the king. This is said to be the beginning of Miyako jofu. The warp and the weft threads are used a hand-woven pongee which was made from the fiber of the ramie of the perennation plant with the manual labor. The threads are dyed by Ryukyu indigo, and they are woven with a hand-operated wooden machine then a fabric is boiled and washed in water. After that Kinutauchi is given to make it smooth and luster.
77. BASHOFU
77.It is a cloth which was woven in fiber of Basho plant. It is made in Okinawa village, Kijoka, and it is said that is the one of the oldest Okinawa textiles. After making fiber from a skin of stems, it is dyed with Ryukyu indigo plant and techigi. Bashofu is light, has excellent air permeability and is the most suitable for the hot summer season.
78. ASA ORIMONO (Hemp cloth)
78.This is a Hemp Cloth. There are many kinds of Asa orimono such as AMA, CHOMA, KOUMA, BASYOU etc.
Asa orimono is also called JOUFU. Representative Joufus are ECHIGO JOUFU, MIYAKO JOUFU and NOTO JOUFU. Because breathability and absorbency are good, it is used for summer kimonos or obis material for the summer.
79. KIJAKU
79.Kijaku is a bolt for making a Kimono.
80. HAJAKU
80.Hajaku is a bolt for making a haori.
81. KARINUI FABRIC
81.Karinui means seam it together temporarily. Karinui fabric is a fabric for making a kimono. We make a kimono for a particular person (size) from a karinui fabric.
82. MOSURIN
82.We say "Mosurin" in Japan it means that is a textile of wool. Mosurin and wool are the same material, but the feeling is different because they are woven differently.
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[ OTHER ]
87. Shogun
87.“Generalissimo,” the title of the military rulers who, while technically subordinate to the Emperor, held effective political and military power in Japan through most of the period from the thirteenth century until 1868.
88. Shippo
88.The “seven jewels” of Buddhism, variously identified in different sources but usually including gold, silver, lapis lazuli or jade, crystal, coral, agate, and pearl; a frequent component of felicitous or auspicious designs. Perhaps because of the difficulty of concrete visualization of these materials the seven jewels are usually depicted in stylized representations of increasing abstraction, often purely geometrical shapes with round dots placed around the margins. See catalogue 31 and 32.
The shippo-tsunagi, a variant of the wa-chigai interlocked circle motif, is also linked by its name to the seven jewels theme; though the pictorial connection is difficult to grasp.
89. Obi
89.The belt or sash worn with the kimono and used to hold it closed in front traditional Japanese dress having no buttons or other fastening devices.
In considering the evolution of kosode design in the Edo period, as illustrated in the present collection, it is essential to bear in mind that the obi formed an integral part of the costume; and that this was by no means always the wide, lavish, and formalized sash of today. Indeed, at the beginning of Edo the obi was little more than a ribbon or cord wrapped around the waist. Its evolution thereafter may perhaps best be followed in the ukiyo-e genre prints.
Wider obi of six or seven inches would appear to have been worn first at the end of the seventeenth century and the beginning of the eighteenth. Materials, widths, and methods of tying varied thereafter with the changes of fashion and the social position of the wearer; sumptuary regulations of varying strictness also played a part as they restricted ornamentation of the kosode and diverted attention to the sash.
The effect of the widened obi on kimono design can be seen quite clearly in some of the kosode of the Middle Edo ( catalogue 9 and 10); its greatly increased importance by the end of the period is reflected in the complete absence of ornamentation in the upper part of the kimono (catalogue 37-43).
Some kimono, however, were intended to be worn unsashed, and thus no provision need be made for the interruption of the design by the obi; among such styles were the uchikake.
90. Noren
90.The curtain hung before the door of a shop. Emblazoned with the name of mark of the shop and, often, an advertisement of the goods or services offered, the noren excludes prying eyes and the heat, noise and dust of the street, and serves as the sigh and symbol of the business.
91. Mon
91.Family crest; used originally for identification in battle. From the Late Edo onward family crests were commonly reserved by starch resist in the back center and sleeves of the kimono, and often on the breasts as well.
92. Koto
92.A Japanese zither; a member of the family of long zithers with movable frets found in Chiuna, Korea, and Vietnam as well. Roughly six feet in length, the koto is made of paulonia wood and has thirteen silk strings of fixed and equal length and tension; tuning is effected by means of the high, movable fret placed under each string.
93. Maiko
93.Japanese girls or women in training to be Geisha, are called Maiko. In Tokyo, they are called HANTAMA. They wear long length and long sleeves kimono and tie a Darari-obi.
94. Geisha
94.Japanese girls or women trained to entertain men by singing and dancing at parties, etc. In Kyoto, they are called Geiko instead of Geisha.
They wear long length and short sleeves kimono.
They sometimes wear a kimono which they wore as a Maiko, but they make sleeves shorter.
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