P1+Kimono

By: Buzzy B. Gabe L.
 * Dress and Appearance**

One of the most important cultural aspects of Japan was the dress and appearance. The Japanese strived to dress appropriately according to their traditions. Over the years the Japanese developed several traditions that they dressed accordingly to. One of those traditions was for woman to paint their face white to contrast with the rest of their face, and make them look more beautiful. The typical dress wear for the Japanese was the kimono, which was similar to a robe. The merchants and the artisans dressed in a different style of kimono, the merchants wore nicer garments while the artisans and other poorer people wore less nice clothing. The samurai´s armor consisted of 18 layers, and was very elegant. The people who were higher ranked and lived in Heiankyo were expected to dress in a more elegant manner so the Miyabi developed which was essentially a code of conduct for the higher ranking citizens. Those are just some of the many clothing traditions for the Japanese people.

Dress and Appearance was incredibly important in Japan during the Tokugawa period. There were certain things that were rude and things people did to make them look more beautiful. Woman thought that painting their face was white attractive. This was done to make your facial features stand out. They also put on lipstick to make their lips appear smaller. It was rude to show your teeth in public so coal was used to blacken them so they could not be seen. Fans were also used to guard a person’s teeth because laughing with your mouth open was also considered rude. Fans were also used to hide their mouth when they were eating. Makeup was one of the most important parts of Japanese appearance.

Samurai also had a certain appearance that consists of 18 different layers of armor, although some were more important than others. This would be things like gloves, sleeves, or head cloths. Some of the more important pieces to the armor would be the Kabuto, which was the helmet, the Shitagi, the shirt, the Kobakama, the breeches, or the Do, which was the main body armor. There were also pads like the Suneate, shin guards, Nodowa, which was the throat protector, or the Sode, which was she shoulder pad. Samurai also had two swords that were also part of their appearance, the Katana and the Tanto. The Katana was used frequently for battle. On the other hand, the Tanto not used often. The Tanto was only used when a Samurai had to perform Seppuku. Seppuku was an honorable form of suicide. The Samurai had something called a Kamon. It was a Japanese family crest. The symbol on the crest was often a favorite plant, animal, or a design like a cross or a certain letter. In early Japanese times men in combat had these on their garments.

The different classes of Japan dressed in very different fashions. The two most common types of kimonos were the yogi and the merchant’s garment. The merchant’s garment was made using the yuzenzome technique on silk. This was where the artisan would hand paint all of the details, instead of dipping it in large bucket of dye. The merchants could afford nice clothing, so all of the designs were hand painted on silk. The yogi was much less expensive than the merchant’s garment. The yogi was made using the tsutsugaki technique, which was when the artisan would paint on a paste in the areas that they wanted to stay white. They would then dip the kimono in a large bucket of dye so that all of the areas except the pasty areas would be colored. They would finally later go back and paint in all of the details using a brush. Those were the two most common forms of kimonos during the Tokugawa period in Japan.

The Miyabi was the code of manners expected of people who lived in Heiankyo, and of other high ranking people. People who lived in the capitol had to follow those rules to maintain their status. If they broke the rules their status would be demoted. It was expected that anyone who lived in the capitol had a restrained behavior. They were expected to control their anger, and were not allowed to brawl with others. Wearing all of the layers of clothes helped restrain the citizens of Heiankyo. The Miyabi also states that it is a public disgrace to show your teeth in any way. When they laughed or ate they would cover their mouth with a fan, so that their teeth would not show. They also covered their teeth with coal to make sure that their teeth would never be seen. They also had to keep an elegant appearance, involving multiple layers of clothes. The Miyabi was a very strict set of rules that high status people had to follow.

The most common dress wear during the Tokugawa period in Japan was the traditional kimono. Kimonos were robes that were held together using a strap near the waist called an obi. During the summer the Japanese would wear lighter thinner kimonos made of a lighter material like silk, while during the winter the kimonos worn would be heavier ones made of flannel. For formal occasions women wore more colorful kimonos, while men wore darker colored kimonos like navy blue. The most expensive kimonos during the Tokugawa time period were made using hand operated looms. For casual occasions 3 layers were worn. The first layer was the nagajuban, which acted like an undergarment. The next layer was the kimono, which was traditionally made of heavy silk. The final layer was the obi, which was a very fine wide strip of silk wrapped tightly around the person’s waist. All of these layers caused the kimono to be quite uncomfortable, and made it very difficult to take normal size steps. The kimono was the most common, yet a very elegant piece of dress wear during the time. Dress and appearance was an important part of Japanese culture and it makes people not only to look respectable, but to follow years of traditions of clothing and appearance.media type="custom" key="12652522"

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