Japanese Kimono

Posts Tagged ‘edo’

Tokugawa shogunate

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 (which is now Tokyo). The Edo period (1603-1868) was long, stable and peaceful.

The Edo Period

It was also almost totally free of influence from abroad, since the shogunate banned the Portuguese and Spanish missionaries and English traders who had come in the late fifteenth century and allowed only a few Dutch and Chinese merchants to carryon their business through the port of Nagasaki in Kyushu. The middle of the Edo period saw the rise of popular literature and art, such as ukiyo-e

During this period the samurai altered the kataginu, a sleeveless upper garment favored by the working classes during the Muromachi and Momoyama periods, and incorporated it into their costume. Known now as the kamishimo, it was worn over the kimono and was combined with hakama to complete the ceremonial attire for high ranking samurai.

When the occasion was formal the hakama hems trailed on the floor, but for ordinary occasions, the hem was sewn up at the ankles.

Kamishimo and Hakama