The Kimono: a Short History

Even though the kimono originally came from China, they have been worn in Japan for hundreds of years, and the kimono attained its height of beauty in 17th and 18th century Japan.

Traditionally, the cloth and color combinations indicated the wearer's social or political standing and the colors of kimonos changed with the season. These days, the kimono is no longer a purely traditional garment.

Traditionally, all girls in Japan had to learn to master the arts of making clothes and sewing. But sewing was easier than in the west. The girdle, haori and kimono, and even the long-hanging sleeves, used only parallel stitches. The garments were, in fact, taken apart for washing, and each piece, after being mildly stiffened, was stretched on a board for drying, before being stitched back together again.

There are many types of silk kimono: the long-sleeved, beautiful types worn by young girls or geisha, the formal kimono stamped with the wearer's family emblem and worn on formal occasions; kimono for men and kimono for children. A young woman would wear a kimono with long sleeves and an Obi, a broad brocade or silk band about 12 feet long and 12 inches wide. As she grows older, her kimonos become smaller and the colors deeper and richer while the obi is worn lower and made narrower. In addition, haori, a short knee-length kimono, is frequently worn too. In modern times, a kimono is typically only donned on special occasions and is mostly worn by women, but some men also wear this garment. Both haori and kimono may be hung on a hard wood hanging bar as wall decoration.

Possibly the most popular color for a kimono is red, derived from safflower. The yukata has much in common with the kimono, except it is made of lightweight cotton and is more casual.