The Graceful Kimono—Will It Survive?
By Awake! correspondent in Japan
TODAY is a special day for young Kyoko. She is going to wear her new silk kimono for the first time. It is in a shade of pink with bright-red floral designs.
The flowing sleeves, called furisode, reach down almost to the hem. Her hair is swept up in a roll, tied with red ribbons that match her kimono. Walking along daintily in her red brocade zori, or sandals, she is the embodiment of gracefulness.
“Wearing a kimono makes me feel like a lady,” Kyoko says. And, indeed, it does make her look elegant.
The National Dress
The kimono is the national dress of Japan for both women and men. The word means simply “wearing article(s).”
To the Japanese, however, a kimono is not just a beautiful garment. It represents a way of life, a part of their culture. Along with their traditional art of flower arrangement and tea ceremony, kimono dressing is said to embody the qualities of beauty, love, courtesy, and harmony in everyday life.
The kimono is close-fitting. It is bound tightly at the waist with a broad, stiff sash called the obi. The sleeves, though, are loose and full, resembling a pair of wings when the arms are stretched out. The dress itself is narrow and long, reaching down to the ankles, and it does not have slits. No wonder the girls move about so daintily when wearing kimonos!
The color and design of kimonos are traditionally determined by the age of the women wearing them. Brilliant colors, fanciful designs, and flowing, long sleeves befit the exuberance of young girls. As they grow older, they can have the material bleached and redyed to suit their age. Women in their 20’s and 30’s generally wear kimonos in soft pastel colors with subtle designs. For older married women, black kimonos with contrasting obi and colorful patterns in the skirts are most becoming.
Though few people wear kimonos every day anymore, each year there are a number of occasions when some people bring them out. One of them is January 15th, known as Seijin no Hi, or Adult’s Day, for those reaching the age of 20 during the year. Graduations and Shogatsu, or New Year’s Day, are other occasions when some wear the kimono. Yes, ladies the world over are glad to have an occasion to dress up!
Formal events, such as weddings and funerals, may also see the use of appropriate kimonos. On other occasions men too sometimes wear kimonos with a three-quarter-length coat called haori. A man’s kimono is usually a subdued, dark color, such as gray, blue, or brown. As formal wear, a divided skirt, called hakama, is worn with the haori.
Children are introduced to kimonos at the shichi-go-san (seven-five-three) festival in November. On this day, you will see boys and girls seven, five, or three years of age dressed in their first kimonos. The predominant color is red, but the background may be blue or purple, with typically Japanese designs of flowers, birds, folded fans, or drums. Watch the little boy shuffling along in his zori, feeling elegant in his navy-blue and white-striped hakama and matching haori. Surely he was much more comfortable yesterday in his jeans, T-shirt, and sneakers! But when he sees his shichi-go-san photographs later, he will likely feel quite happy.
Of course, while some people choose to wear the kimono on occasions they regard as special, this is by no means mandatory. Because of their beliefs, or conscience, other people may choose not to honor such ‘special occasions’ and will wear clothing they consider sufficiently proper from their viewpoint.
Putting On the Kimono
Would you like to try one on? It is not as easy as some might think. Let’s start with the long undergarment called nagajuban. It must be adjusted correctly, or the kimono will not fit well. The crossover collar of this garment is stiff and holds the top part of the kimono in place. Be sure the collar is completely clear of the neck at the back.
If you are a Western woman, you would probably close the front of the garment right over left as you do with your blouse or coat. “No! No!” exclaims our Japanese friend. “Here, only dead bodies are wrapped from right to left!” So you would wrap your nagajuban left over right, then hold it in place with a narrow sash.
You are now ready for the kimono itself. Do you think it is too long? “No problem,” says our friend, “we are only starting.” Wrap the kimono around you—remember, left over right—and tie it with a sash. Now adjust the length by pulling up the extra material over the sash until the hem just clears the floor. Straighten up the collar and smooth out the bodice. Let the extra material hang neatly and tie it down with another sash.
Now comes the most intricate part—the obi. Made of stiff material, it is about 12 inches [30 cm] wide and 13 feet [4 m] long, and there are literally hundreds of ways to tie the bow at the back. To put it on without some help is quite a challenge, but our Japanese friend is happy to assist. Each step in arranging the obi requires a cord or a sash to hold it in place. The final one to keep the bow in place is tied neatly in front.
Well, how does it feel wearing a kimono for the first time? ‘Really elegant, but rather cramped in movement,’ you no doubt say.
Material and Weave
The most desirable material for a kimono has always been pure silk. It is unsurpassed for softness, luster, and durability. Various districts are noted for their particular weave and their dyeing process.
For example, on the island of Amami-Ō-Shima, south of Kyushu, a unique dyeing process, utilizing the bark of the techi tree and the iron-rich mud of the island, has been designated by the government as a “National Intangible Cultural Asset.”
A pattern, called Bingata, comes from the island of Okinawa. Bin means red, but other brilliant colors are combined in flowing designs of flowers, birds, rivers, and trees. Kyoto, the old capital of Japan, is also famous for its kimono material.
Though weaving is mostly done by machines nowadays, tapestry designs are still done by hand. After the design is stenciled on the material, the colors are applied by hand with all the care of executing an exquisite painting. Gold and silver trim may be added, and some parts of the pattern may call for embroidery by hand. The result is a real work of art.
Changing Times
In recent years, however, the demand for kimonos has fallen off. A survey conducted by the newspaper Yomiuri shows that while 64 percent of those polled wore a kimono on New Year’s Day, only 3 percent chose it for regular wear. Also indicative of the decline is a newspaper photo showing workers “smashing machinery used to weave elegant silk materials because the demand for kimonos has alarmingly dipped.”
Why the decline? It is due partly to the popularity and convenience of Western-style dress and partly to the very high cost of good quality silk kimonos. Typically, they may cost half a million yen (some $2,000, U.S.), with the matching obi at about half that much. Add to this the cost of the zori, tabi (the one-toed sock worn with the zori), purse, and hair ornaments, and you can see why it is a real luxury to wear a silk kimono.
Some families start a savings account when a baby girl is born in order for her to have a really fine kimono when she becomes a young woman. And such a kimono is often handed down from generation to generation.
But there is something else. Norio Yamanaka, chairman of the Sodo Kimono Academy, remarked: “Our daily life is too busy. . . . The Japanese, particularly men, were too occupied with earning bread in the postwar days. They were too busy to afford kimonos.” The fast-paced modern society leaves them little room for such traditions handed down from their distant ancestors.
Whether the graceful kimono will survive the pressures of modern-day society, only time will tell. But this colorful national dress of Japan certainly has added much to the fascinating variety of clothing styles found around the world.