Japanese Kimono

Archive for the ‘Kimono History’ Category

The Heian Period

The Heian period began in 794 A.D. At the time of the Heian period, Kyoto become Japan's new capital. The Heian court assumed importance as the seat of cultural life. Japanese kimonos especially colorful kimono were popular with Japanese women.

In 794 the Japanese imperial court moved north of Nara to Heian - kyo. Heian means the capital of peace and tranquility. Heian was later renamed to the city of Kyoto 11 centuries later.

During the early Heian era, Japan maintained the relationship with T'ang China (Tang under the emperors Kammu (781-806) and Saga (809-23). Then, as the power of the emperors began to wane, one family of courtiers, the Fujiwara, came to dominate the affairs of state. After 894, communication with China was suspended, and the period from 897 to 1185 is referred to as the late Heian, or Fujiwara, period. Japan then sought to develop her own artistic spirit and the evolution of textile designs and styles of kimono began.

Life at the Heian court was without doubt one of the most refined and sophisticated in the world at that time. In this luxurious setting the Heian court nobles wore long trailing robes called sokutai.

Heian Period Kimono

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, since the earliest fragments of Japanese textiles that have been preserved date from the Asuka period (552-646).

However, on the basis of archaeological excavation, two very distinct types of Neolithic culture have been recognized. They are distinguished by the differences in their pottery-making techniques and designs.

The prehistoric Jomon period lasted several thousand years, ending in the third century B.C. The heavy earthenware pots of this period were made with coils of clay and are characterized by their highly varied decorative designs, which are artistically superior to those of other Stone Age cultures. The designs probably derived from basket-weaving, the techniques of which were also highly advanced for the time, and fine mat designs impressed on the surface of many pots clearly point to the presence of carefully woven cloth. Still, although cloth fragments from the early periods have recently been discovered in Miyagi Prefecture, very little is as yet known about how the earliest Japanese dressed.

It is generally assumed that the Jomon people, both men and women, wore close fitting trousers tied at the waist with rope of braided cord and short upper garments with tubular sleeves. These upper garments were probably pullover shirts with V necks and had either embroidered curvilinear designs or decorative painted designs. Such clothing does not seem to be well suited to the warm, humid climate of Japan, and may reflect a connection between Jomon culture and the nomadic tribes of northern Asia.

• Heian
• Kamakura
• Muromachi
• Momoyama
• Edo
• Meiji