Over time, wearing a lot of clothes became unfashionable. The government created laws to stop people from wearing lots of robes at once, and starting with the Muromachi period, women and men began to wear the "kosode" by itself or with two or three layers, with a small, thin belt called an obi, and for women, red "hakama" trousers. However, ceremonial clothing in the Imperial Court still looked like clothing from previous centuries, and even today, the new Emperor and Empress of Japan are coronated in Heian period clothing.
During the Genroku period, the common people began to get richer, especially the merchants. This led to people wearing expensive and beautiful "kosode", even if they were not nobility. People began to experiment with different ways to decorate their clothing, such as embroidery, and experimented with ways of dyeing their clothing.
This made them look like noble people, so the government introduced laws against commoners wearing certain things to prevent it. However, people did not want to give up their beautiful clothes, and instead found different ways of wearing them; a man, for instance, might wear a "haori" jacket made out of wool in a plain, boring colour, but line it with a fancy silk fabric.
This way of thinking about clothing and appearances became known as an aesthetic idea called "iki", which is still important to the way people wear kimono today.
Over time, the obi got wider and longer, especially for women. Because of this, the sleeves of the "kosode" were no longer sewn to the body entirely, and were instead only attached at the shoulder on "kosode" for women.
Sleeves also got longer for young women, as did the length of the "kosode", which started to be called the kimono sometime in the Edo period. The kimono would trail behind someone indoors, but had to be pulled up when going out so it would not become dirty. Women started tucking the extra length of their kimono into a hip fold, which became known as the "ohashori". Kimono are still worn by women today with the "ohashori".
Over time, very wide obi and very long kimono fell out of fashion. During World War Two, longer kimono sleeves were seen as very wasteful, and sleeves on kimono were usually shortened, sometimes a lot. This new sleeve length lasted, and modern kimono for women are still shorter than they were before the war. Older kimono, especially from the Taishō period, still have these longer sleeves sometimes.
Today, more women wear the kimono than men. Men wear kimono most often at weddings and Japanese tea ceremonies.
Kimono are made in different sizes for different people, and are made in different lengths for men and women. Men and women also wear kimono with different sleeves.
Kimono for women are much longer than kimono for men, and women fold the kimono at the waist in a tuck to make them the right size. The right length for a woman's kimono is usually the same as her height, though people who are very tall can struggle to find kimono that fits them.
The sleeves on a woman's kimono are not sewn to the body all the way down, and are open at the back. Part of the body of the kimono is open as well. The sleeves on a woman's kimono are longer than the sleeves on a man's kimono, and sometimes reach the ankle on kimono for young women. The curve at the edge of the sleeves is very round, especially on kimono for young women and girls.
Kimono for men do not need to be folded at the hip, and so do not have any extra length. The sleeves are shorter, and are attached almost all the way down to the body. The back of the sleeves is sewn shut, and the body is also sewn shut. The curve at the edge of the sleeve is not as round.
Kimono for men are usually one solid colour, but might have a very small geometric design. Kimono for women can be one solid colour, have a small design, or be decorated in larger, colourful patterns. More colourful kimono are usually worn by young women. Sometimes, these designs are only worn in certain seasons of the year.
People who are very tall or very heavy can struggle to find a kimono that fits them, and sometimes have kimonos made for them instead.
Kimonos come in different types for different occasions, and both men and women have formal and casual kimono. Formal kimono have a number of crests on them, called "kamon" or "mon". These are placed on the front of the shoulders, the back of the sleeves, and the centre of the back. Kimono with crests have either one, three, or five crests on them - the crest on the centre back, the centre back and the sleeves, or the centre back, the sleeves and the shoulders.
The most formal kimono have all five of these crests on them. The least-formal formal kimono have just one. These crests can be outlined or coloured in fully in white, with "kamon" that are just an outline being the least formal.
Kimono are usually made of silk, but there are cotton, polyester, hemp and linen kimono as well. Some kimono are also made of wool, or rayon. Formal kimono are always made out of fine silk, and are usually sewn by hand. However, not all silk kimono are formal kimono, and some types of silk, such as pongee (known as "tsumugi") are only ever worn to casual occasions.
The most informal type of kimono is the "yukata", worn in summer to festivals and in bath houses and inns by both men and women. They are not lined, are always made of cotton, and are worn with thin, brightly-coloured obi.
For formal occasions, men wear fine silk kimono with "haori" (a kimono jacket) and "hakama" (loose-fitting trousers). The "hakama" are usually striped in white and black, and the kimono and the "haori" will match in colour.
Women have a number of different types of kimono for different formal occasions. The designs on the kimono, how they are put onto the kimono, and where they are placed on the kimono all change how formal the finished outfit is. In order of formality, these are:
People wear a wide belt called an obi with their kimono. Obi are also colorful, and are very long. Some types of obi are not worn anymore, as they are too difficult to wear and put on. The "maru" obi is an example of a type of obi not worn any more. The "fukuro" obi replaced it, as it was less wide and easier to wear.
Kimonos can be very expensive, for example, the Furisode is very expensive to get. The obi belts can be very expensive too. The kimono most people have are not so expensive. Some people make their own kimono, or they buy them second-hand.
People who play some sports like kendo also wear kimono. These are tough, thick and short, not like the typical women's kimono. They are usually called "do-gi".
Most Japanese people do not know how to put on a kimono by themselves as it is very different from other clothing. Formal kimono for women can be very difficult to put on by yourself. Some people work as "kimono dressers". They help people to put on their kimono.
In Japan, people can take classes about wearing the kimono, and to learn about how to choose a kimono and how to tie the obi.
Sconce
A sconce is a holder for candles or electric lights that is fixed on a wall. Most of the time, sconces are also meant to make the place look more beautiful.
Culture
Culture is a word for the 'way of life' of groups of people, meaning the way they do things. Different groups may have different cultures. A culture is passed on to the next generation by learning, whereas genetics are passed on by heredity. Culture is seen in people's writing, religion, music, clothes, cooking and in what they do.
The concept of culture is very complicated, and the word has many meanings. The word 'culture' is most commonly used in three ways.
Most broadly, 'culture' includes all human phenomena which are not purely results of human genetics. The discipline which investigates cultures is called anthropology, though many other disciplines play a part.