page_title: Kimono
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Kimono / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Ancient mural depicting women, painted on the west wall of Takamatsuzuka Tomb. 日本語: 高松塚古墳壁画　西壁女子群像
context_page_description: The kimono is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a flat, T-shaped garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, worn left over right unless the wearer is deceased. It is always worn with an obi, and commonly worn with accessories such as zōri and tabi socks.
  Kimono are mostly made from traditional bolts of fabric known as tanmono. There are different types of kimono for men, women and children, and the style of the kimono can indicate the wearer's age, gender, formality of occasion and - less commonly - the wearer's marital status. Types of kimono range in formality from the very least to the very most formal of occasions.
  In modern Japan, the kimono is uncommonly worn as everyday dress, and has steadily fallen out of fashion as the most common garment for a Japanese person to own and wear. Kimono are now most commonly seen at summer festivals, where people frequently wear the yukata, and is less commonly seen at funerals, weddings, and other formal events.
context_section_description: The first instances of kimono-like garments in Japan were traditional Chinese clothing introduced to Japan via Chinese envoys in the Kofun period, with immigration between the two countries and envoys to the Tang dynasty court leading to Chinese styles of dress, appearance and culture becoming extremely popular in Japanese court society. The Imperial Japanese court quickly adopted Chinese styles of dress and clothing, with evidence of the oldest samples of shibori tie-dyed fabric stored at the Shosoin Temple being Chinese in origin, due to the technical capacities of Japan's ability to produce the fabrics stored there at the time.
  During the Heian period (794-1193 CE), Japan stopped sending envoys to the Chinese dynastic courts, leading to the prevention of Chinese-exported goods, including clothing, from entering the Imperial Palace and thus disseminating to the upper classes who could afford it. The ensuing vacuum led to the facilitation of a Japanese culture independent from Chinese fashions to a much greater degree; this saw elements previously lifted from the Tang Dynastic courts develop independently into what is known as literally "national culture" or "kokufū culture" (国風文化, kokufū-bunka), the term used to refer to Heian-period Japanese culture, with the dress of the upper classes also affected.
  Clothing became increasingly stylised, with some elements - such as the round-necked and tube-sleeved chun ju jacket, worn by both genders in the early seventh century - being abandoned by both male and female courtiers. Others, such as the wrap-front robes also worn by men and women, were kept, and some elements, such as the mo skirt worn by women, continued on in a reduced capacity, worn only to formal occasions.
  During the later Heian period, various clothing edicts reduced the number of layers a woman could wear, leading to the kosode - lit., "small sleeve" - garment, previously considered underwear, becoming outerwear by the time of the Muromachi period (1336-1573 CE). Originally worn with hakama trousers - another piece of underwear in the Heian period - the kosode began to be held closed with a small belt known as an obi. The kosode resembled a modern kimono, though at this time, the sleeves were sewn shut at the back, and were smaller in width than the much wider body of the garment. During the Sengoku period and the Azuchi-Momoyama period, bold designs and flashy primary colors of kimono became popular.
  During the Edo period (1603-1867 CE), the economy and culture developed remarkably, and especially in the Genroku period, the Genroku culture flourished and the kimono of not only the aristocracy and the samurai class but also the Chōnin class became remarkably gorgeous. In response to this, the Tokugawa shogunate issued several sumptuary bans on the kimono of the Chōnin class, prohibiting the use of purple or red fabric and gold embroidery, and prohibiting fine patterns by tie-dyeing with fine threads. As a result, an aesthetic called iki that pursued sophisticated simplicity and a bit of playfulness flourished, continuing to affect kimono aesthetics even in the present day. From this point onwards, the basic shape of both men's and women's kimono remained largely unchanged. In the Edo period, the sleeves of the kosode began to grow in length, especially amongst unmarried women, and the obi became much longer and wider, with various styles of knots coming into fashion, alongside stiffer weaves of material supporting them.
  During the Meiji era, the opening of Japan to Western trade after the enclosure of the Edo period led to a drive towards Western dress as a sign of "modernity". After an edict by Emperor Meiji, for instance, policemen, railroad workers and teachers moved to wearing Western clothing within their job roles, with the adoption of Western clothing by men in Japan happening at a much greater pace than by women. Initiatives such as the Tokyo Women's & Children's Wear Manufacturers' Association (東京婦人子供服組合) promoted Western clothing as everyday dress.
  Western clothing quickly became standard issue as arm
caption: Japanese women's dress under Goguryeo influence with a distinctive overlapping collar and mo skirt.[5]  (Takamatsu Tomb, 7th century)
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