The history of the Japanese Kimono dated way back to around 500 A.D. Tracing the origin of Japanese dress and the history of the Japanese kimono is largely a matter of conjecture.
The Heian period is 794 - 1185 A.D. At the time of the Heian period, Kyoto become Japan's new capital. Japanese kimonos especially colorful kimono were popular with Japanese women.
For the many ceremonial occasions, Heian period kimono were worn by women of the Heian court. Women of the Heian court wore unlined Heian period kimono one over the other, taking great care to match and contrast the colors.
Tale of Genji is considered to be the first novel in Japanese. Tale of Genji was written by an aristocratic Japanese woman called Murasaki Shikibu. Murasaki Shikibu wrote Tale of Genji.
The Kamakura period dated from 1185 to 1333 A.D. The Kamakura period was characterized by the rising influence of the military class. Japanese kimonos were not in fashion the Kamakura period.
The general's ceremonial kimono dress had less full sleeves and short trousers worn with leggings. Armor (yoroi) could be put on over it. Rather than ostentatious multilayered kimono.
Kosode means "small sleeve," the opening was made even smaller by being partially sewn up. In this development can be seen the beginning of the modern Japanese kimono.
Over the years the Kamakura shogunate lost control of the provincial daimyo, and then in 1338 the Ashikaga shogunate established its headquarters in Kyoto.
Both the suo kimono and daimon kimono were nearly identical to the hitatare kimono. The main difference was in the kind of material used. Instead of the silk of the hitatare kimono.
The kosode was adopted as the standard dress for women regardless of class, but for formal wear, there was the long outer robe known as uchikake kimono.
Women of all classes continued to wear the kosode in public, but the wives of powerful daimyo found richer and more elaborate kimono more in keeping with their status.
In 1603 Tokugawa Ieyasu, after having gained control of the whole country, founded the Tokugawa shogunate. Tokugawa moved the capital of Japan from Kyoto to Edo.
Attention gradually shifted in the middle of the Edo period from the kimono to the obi. Although designers were still producing creative and beautiful kosode designs.
The furisode is characterized by long very full sleeves, for it was said at one time that a woman could win the man she loved by waving (furi) her sleeve (sode) to attract his spirit, even from afar.
By 1868 the Tokugawa policy of self-imposed isolation was no longer feasible. The Emperor Meiji moved with his court from Kyoto to Tokyo, a constitutional monarchy was formed, and the country set out to master the science and technology that made the western nations economically strong.
Meiji Period Kimono styles were sometimes mixed, and boys of school age might wear either western style uniforms or clothes showing both western and Japanese influence.
