Welcome to Horace Mann's Webpage for:

Medieval Japanese Clothes, Make up, & Hair Styles

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Introduction: Clothing varied widely according to the historical period and with the social class.

I. History of Japanese Clothing

A. Clothing of the Jomon and Yayoi Periods (Before 300 A.D.)

The earliest hunters and gatherers wore clothing made from furs and plant fibers, such as linen or hemp. Both men and women wore simple one piece clothing with a cut for the head and sewed down the sides and belted at the waist. The clothing went down below the knees. The rice farmers of the Yayoi period also wore simple clothing of linen.

B. Clothing of the Tomb Culture Period (300 - 550 A.D.)

Yamato clothing consisted of two pieces, an upper and lower piece. The upper piece had tight sleeves. During this period the art of raising silk worms was introduced in Japan by Chinese settlers. At this time, they had no skills or techniques for dyeing clothes, so the silk fabric remained white.

C. Learn more about the Asuka Period and others at the Kimono Hypertext: History Site

II. Women's Kimono

Kimonos (men's, women's and children's) are shown at this excellent site. Be aware that clothing changed through history and was dependent upon the social class to which one belonged.

• People of the farming class, merchant class, or artisan class could only wear rough kimonos made of cotton or hemp, while the ruling class could wear silk.
• A popular style for the ruling class women during the Heian Period (792 - 1192 A.D.) was to have silk robes that were layered showing a rainbow of colors at the sleeves, and the colors would be changed to be appropriate to the season.
• Muromachi Period (1192-1573 A.D.) styles became simpler as the samurai gained power.
• During the Edo Period (1601 - 1867 A.D.) the styles were different still, and the merchant class developed new clothing styles as their wealth increased. Women's kimono had an "obi" or a wide sash which went around the waist and was tied in the back.

• Kimonos of the Heian Era (795 - 1185) and some more modern kimonos are shown at this site along with a brief explanation of their design and use. [Press "Next" at the bottom to continue.] See their show of "Clothed in Art"
• "Traditional fabrics" are explained and shown.
• Fabrics and weaving on a loom (which was the role of women outside the cities) is shown at "Traditional Crafts of Japan". The materials shown are banana fiber, hemp, and silk! There were four main fibers used in Japanese textiles: hemp, ramie, cotton, and silk. Hemp and ramie were the main fibers for the common people until cotton cultivation became widespread in the 18th century. In the peace and prosperity of the Edo Period (1603-1868), fine silks were much in demand by the samurai class and then the affluent merchants, who surpassed the samurai in economic power. Laws did little to stop the wearing of fine silk garments; money often was spent on undergarments rather than on the immediately visible outer kimono. Learn more about it at this site. Learn more about dyeing and designs on cloth.

Samurai's clothing

Photo from Smithsonian. This was a gift to the U.S. in 1905. The helmet dates to 1532 - 1555.

• Samurai armor (shown at left) is at the Smithsonian (in Washington, D.C.)
• Samurai clothing is shown in many woodblock prints. Samurai clothing for daily life was hakama (almost like a skirt) and baggy pants sometimes with a winged vest over a robe. Today the hakama is worn for the traditional martial arts such as Aikido, Kendo (fencing) and archery. In the martial arts, the seven pleats of a hakama represent the seven virtues of the "way of the warrior" (bushido).

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Shogun Gallery Left: Ronin Cutting Bowstrings: The Loyalty of the 47 Ronin, Dated: c.1899, Publisher: Heikichi. Right: Kameyama, Series: The 53 Stages of the Tokaido. Dated: c.1852. Publisher: Tsujioka-ya Bunsuke

 

Common People's Clothing

• Farmers wore straw coats when it rained, as shown in this print by Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849)

  Straw sandals were the normal footwear, but wooden clogs (geta) with high pegs would be worn while walking in muddy or snowy places. Their clothes were made out of rough cotton, banana fiber, or hemp. The full-length kimono was occasionally worn by both sexes, but work clothes usually consisted of a short jacket worn with a trouser-like garment. In some parts of Japan the women wore "baggy-type pants" pulled tight around the ankles. In other places they wore tighter pants, like the men's, but they usually wore an apron. Both sexes wore a "belt" or sash about five inches wide.

  In hot weather men could remove their jackets and work "topless", or go even further and remove their lower garments leaving only their loin cloth. Women usually wore an undergarment like a short skirt.

  In cold winter weather farmers and other workers put on leggings and coverings for their lower arms. (See pp. 65 - 66 in Everyday Life in Traditional Japan for more details.)

  This print shows sumo wrestlers of the Edo Period in their everyday clothing. They are wearing cotton robes and notice their footwear.

  

  The "yukata" robes were also popular. "Yukata" comes from the word "Yu" (bath) and "Katabira" (under-clothing). A thousand year ago, court nobles wore linen "Yukatabira" which were draped loosely after taking a bath. It gradually became worn by Japanese warriors (samurai) and then by the general public when the sophisticated Japanese public baths became popular. Both men and women wore yukata.

  "Happi coats" are Japanese short jackets/shirts traditionally worn by merchant class workers and shop keepers. (Today these are usually decorated with the name of the shop or crest on the back.) At this site showing block prints, you can see that carpenters wore the "happi coat" over pants or a loin cloth.

  • Members of the artisan class (construction workers, carpenters, blacksmiths or swords makers, etc.) wore simple clothes for work such as a shirt/happi coat, tight trousers over a loin cloth. They, too, were not allowed to, nor could they afford to wear silk.

   

• Clothing for different stages of life
  • Learn more about the clothing and hairstyle changes that Japanese men and women went through as part of "coming of age" ceremonies. For boys the coming of age ceremony was called genpuku and occurred between the ages of 10 to 16. The boy's hair would also be cut or shaved in the front as well. For girls the ceremony of Mogi came between the ages of 12 - 14. She was able to get married at this age. She would wear the long-sleeved kimono of the unmarried woman until her own wedding. (See the excellent pictures at this site!)
  • Clothing and accessories for married and unmarried women were different, too. Unmarried women could wear a hair accessory in the form of a flower made of colorful fabrics. Married woman could wear a hair accessory made of metal, which swings and reflects the light beautifully. The sleeves of the kimono indicate the age and marital status of a woman, too. A young unmarried woman would wear a furisode, a colorful kimono with flowing sleeves that hang almost to the ankles. Two or three layers of sleeves were found behind the top sleeve. Married women's kimonos had a pair of short sleeves. A bride always wore a white "Furi Sode" kimono, and after the marriage, she cut the long sleeves down to short ones and also dyed it black. She would wear the black kimono for her family's wedding/funeral ceremonies or other special occasions.
  • Children's kimonos are worn on special occasions. "7-5-3 Day" is on November 15. Boys who are 3 or 5 and girls who are 3 or 7 dress up in kimonos to go the temples to pray.

• Wedding Dress:
  • Traditional wedding dresses. Often a brightly colored (usually red or orange) over-kimono is worn on top of the white bridal kimono at the wedding reception.
  • A man's traditional wedding clothing is shown at Marie Weddingdress Page.

• Footwear
  • Wooden geta sandals and other types of footwear are shown below

  

   

You are here at Page One: Japanese Clothing

Go to Page Two: Make-Up and Jewelry

1. Using what you have learned, prepare a "fashion show" of Japanese clothing, hairstyles, and make up. You may sew some of the clothing with material we purchase for class (ask me), ask a friend who may have a kimono or other type of clothing to help with the fashion show, or prepare your fashion show entirely of pictures, Japanese dolls, or poster art.

    

2. All groups may be required to make an oral report on their topic. See the oral report criteria before you begin your report.

    

3. Create a webpage showing what you learning and activities (such as going on a field trip to a temple or art museum, interviewing a Japanese person, etc.) Remember, a good webpage has an introduction, body, and conclusion (with a reflection) just like a good composition. (Add pictures from other sites or scan in photographs you have taken.) A good webpage has good information that is well researched and written in your own words. A good webpage may also have links to lead the reader to more information if they want to learn more.

    

4. Experiences:
   • Go to some of the places listed in the "Community Resources" above (including museums, parks, temples, stores, etc.). You may be lucky enough to talk to someone who knows about traditional Japanese culture in one of the stores or the centers you visit. Prepare a list of questions and take notes on their answers. (A small tape recorder can be checked out for this activity.) Remember to be polite and respectful of their time. Be sure to have permission from both your teacher and a parent before beginning these visits. (We don't want you to get lost!)

    

5. We have set up some contacts with students in Japan. Their English is limited, but you can share your life with them and you can learn a lot from them. See your teacher about becoming an e-mail "pen pal". Write up or report orally about what you have learned.

    

6. Evaluate the websites listed above according to a five-star system. Which ones, if any, deserve all five stars? Set up your criteria for evaluation. Your evaluations may become part of this webpage.

    

7. WEBQUEST! Show how much you know by completing this WebQuest on Medieval Japanese Clothing, Make Up, and Hair Styles!