P6+Moore+Dress+and+Appearance

__**Dress and Appearance**__ By: Chris and Chelsea

Dress and appearance was an important part of daily life for everyone in early Japan. For artisans, merchants, and peasants, it showed your level of authority. For samurai, it protected them from harm. For court nobles, it showed your worth. All around, Dress and appearance makes a large impact on every community.
 * __Introduction__**

The women wore Uchiki robes. They wore Hakama skirt trousers. They also wore an item called a Kosode, which is a short sleeved silk garment. Uchkake/Naidori is a long sleeved jacket; it was developed in the Muromachi period and is another garment worn by women. Women commonly wore Kimonos. Kimono means ‘thing to wear’. The type of Kimono that they wear is based on the season.A kimono takes from two to three years to make.The Obi worn on the Kimono was always brighter than the Kimono itself so that all of the colors stand out.There are tons of different types of kimonos such as the Akome, the Hakama, and the Daimon.
 * __Women's Dress and Appearance__**

Men wore Kimonos as well as women, but the men’s Kimonos were darker. Kimonos have embroidered designs and patterns all over them. They have no buttons or zippers on them. The Japanese wore different Kimonos in different seasons. Light Kimonos called Yukata are worn in the summer and warmer Kimonos called Nemaki are worn in the winter. Kimonos are always folded with the left side pulled over the right side. The length of your sleeves showed your rank in the society.
 * __Men’s D&A__**

Samurai had a unique appearance and sense of style. When they weren’t in battle, they were warriors and they hunted. When they were hunting, they wore a hunting jacket called a Kariginu. Overtop of the Kariginu, they wore a cloak called Suikan. When the Samurai were going into battle, they wore the traditional samurai armor. That armor was called the Yoroi and consisted of many small plates laced together by silk. The small plates were made up of even smaller plates, making the whole suit of armor flexible, sturdy, and waterproof. Alongside the armor, the samurai carried swords and wore helmets. The swords were called katana and the helmets were called Kabuto.
 * __Samurai D&A__**

The women of the Imperial court almost always wore long dresses. They constantly fiddled with their hair. They had to learn the Mayabi and look beautiful at all times or else they were considered unworthy. The men wore kimonos and common clothing, only higher quality and of higher elegance.
 * __Imperial Court__**

Accessories were also important in the Japanese society. Belts called Obi are heavy and tied tightly around the Kimono at the waist. It is tied in a knot called Darari and is very colorful. Geisha apprentices wore long sleeves on the Kimono called Furi. The Geisha wore flat sandals, called a Zori, outside and wore the Tabi socks inside. Tabi are special socks that have two toe holes.When the weather outside was too harsh for the Zori, the Geisha wore tough wooden shoes called Geta. Hachimaki are headbands that were used for special events such as ceremonies and wars.
 * __Accessories__**

The men and women of the imperial court were pretty much the only people who could afford to wear makeup. The painted their faces white, including mouth, eyebrows and eyelids. Their lips and eyebrows were both redrawn afterwards. They wore their hair long. They spent a lot of time combing through their hair, fixing their makeup, or straightening their clothes. they always had to look perfect in order to be deemed worthy.
 * __Hair and Makeup__**

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 * __Citations__**

Wikipedia. 'Geisha'. 2011. Web.

Wikipedia. 'Kimono'. 2011. Web.

Kalman, Bobbie. Japan the culture. 'Ancient Robes'. 1989. Crabtree Publishing Company. Print.

Dawes, Lyell. Samurai. 'Samurai's Armor'. Volume Three. 1993. Print.

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