Japanese Kimono
Questions
|
Marla
Mallett
|
| Here are some of the
questions that we frequently receive concerning kimono. |
HOME
|
| Why is there
such a wide range in antique and vintage kimono prices? |
|
| Many
different factors
determine prices. First: age, rarity, and condition.
Second: aesthetics. Since
in Japan the best kimono have always been considered textile
art, kimono prices can vary as much as do prices on paintings.
Thus, beautiful and rare antique kimono command a premium. Some kinds of
decorating techniques are held in especially high regard. Some hand-painted or yuzen-dyed kimono
were extremely costly when originally made, and
beautiful examples have maintained high values. |
|
|
|
|
Embroidered and
brocaded wedding kimono--uchikake--were also extremely expensive
when they were made originally;
$30,000 to $40,000 was not unusual. As a result, a majority of
Japanese brides have
rented these garments for their weddings--with a typical rental
fee of $1500 a day.
It is truly fortunate that we can now acquire some of these
spectacular pieces at a small fraction of their original cost. We may sometimes have access to them merely
because of a tiny, insignificant stain on a lapel or hem, so we
need to be a little accommodating in that regard. |
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
| Original cost and
continued high valuations also dictate the pricing of many
hand-decorated furisodes and hikizuris-- garments
commissioned in the past by highly paid geishas who were fashion
trend-setters. Skinner and Martin, in Geisha, Women of
Japan's Flower & Willow World, tell us that a
geisha's formal kimono ensemble sometimes cost $12,000 or more.
Then they point out that a geisha needed dozens of such outfits
in her wardrobe. Mineko Iwasaki, in her autobiography, Geisha,
a Life, tells of routinely spending several thousand dollars
each week on special kimono, most over $7000 each. Decorating techniques such as yuzen
dyeing and shibori (tie-dye) were extremely
time-consuming and expensive; thus, pieces made with these
processes were especially valued. (For an explanation of these techniques, go to
Japanese
Kimono Design Techniques.) In
contrast, machine-printed kimono imitating these kinds of
designing and made for everyday wear by most
folks were relatively inexpensive, and continue to be so
today. Some of these mass-produced pieces are now literally sold
"by the bale." My interest has focused on
hand-decorated garments that are textile art, however, and I only buy
examples in excellent condition. |
|
|
|
What are the
historical periods used in Kimono dating? |
|
Edo Period: 1603 to
1868
Meiji Period: 1868 to 1912
Taisho Period: 1912 to 1926
Showa Period: 1926 to 1989 |
|
| What is the
best way to display an antique or vintage kimono? |
|
| The Japanese
traditionally use a
special kimono rack for free-standing display. The garments are
hung over the top pole, then the front panels are spread outward
and fastened to the side standards with clips. With these racks,
garments that are especially
long are allowed to drape gracefully on the floor. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Most people opt for a wall display that is
dramatic and easy. A simple rod is adequate--any material as
long as it doesn't bend. I personally prefer a plain rod,
with only an inch or two visible at each end; other people like
rods with finials or up-turned ends. Your local hardware store can provide
brackets to hold a rod out from the wall slightly, or you can
suspend it from above with nylon mono-filament. It is simplest of
all to just rest the rod on two slanting nails or screws in
the wall.
Alternately, a rod can be suspended from a short cord that is threaded through two holes
placed at its center, about 5 inches
apart. This cord holds the kimono collar upward.
 |
 |
|
|
|
Either the front or back of a garment can be
displayed--depending upon its ornamentation. The backs of
dramatic wedding kimono are usually displayed, most often with
the front panels spread to show the full width and
continuous design of
these pieces. The heavy padded hems
add weight to the kimono. If you wish, you can sew small rings
to the underside of the lapels and then slip these over screws
in the wall. In most of my website photos of wedding kimono--uchikake and
shiromuku--I've merely pinned these panels
to the wall. |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| Lighter weight kimono can
either be spread in the same way, or hung straight from a
rod. Either the back or front can be displayed. Some people like
these garments draped loosely and open, while others prefer
their pieces hanging straight and undraped, as in the photo below. If this is your choice, it
can be useful to put a few loose basting stitches along the
placket to hold the left side over the right.
In many of my website photos, I have pinned the two sides
together so that the garments hang smoothly. |
|
|
|
Kimono can also be effectively displayed when
hung above credenzas, with the garments draping casually onto the
furniture surface.
One caution: A kimono should never be hung on a clothes
hanger, as that puts unnatural stress on the underarm/sleeve
seams so that tears are likely to develop in those areas. |
|
|
|
What is an Uchikake? |
|
This is the elaborate,
often colorful and dramatic wedding kimono worn by a Japanese
bride at her wedding reception. Of all Japanese garments,
these can be the most festive and exuberant. They are full
of auspicious symbols--the omnipresent cranes, for example, signifying wishes for long life. These spectacular garments may
be brocaded, embroidered, or painted, and often incorporate
couched gold or silver threads, metallic brocading, and painted or
stenciled gold leaf--surihaku. Uchikake are cut
very long and are not worn with an obi, but rather are left open
and trailing, their heavy padded hems holding the robe outward
in back.
The groom's traditional attire consists of a black kimono,
a black jacket or haori with five crests, and
a gray hakama--a long
pleated skirt. |
Wedding attire, showing a brocaded uchikake.
From Norio Yamanaka's excellent Book of Kimono. Plate
13.
|
 |
|
|
| What is a Shiromuku? |
|
A shiromuku is the traditional white or off-white
Japanese kimono worn for the wedding ceremony itself. These have
normally been
brocaded, damask or embroidered garments. Cranes and floral
motifs predominate. Because of the contrasting reflective surfaces,
these
garments have sometimes been called "triple whites." Some of the loveliest are soft
eggshell-colored silk satins. |
 |
|
|
|
What are Tomesode
and Irosode? |
 |
Tomesode are the dark kimono
worn by older or married women for formal occasions--especially
weddings. Members of both the brides' and grooms' families
have
typically worn kuro tomesode--black
kimono--usually with elegant auspicious designs near the hems.
Slightly less formal irosode were made in other colors.
Hand- drawn yuzen-dyeing techniques were favored for these
garments, although we also find embroidered and printed tomesode. The
most formal examples have five mon, or family
crests--three across the shoulders on the back, two on the
upper front. Tomesode were also worn by geisha for formal
occasions;
the mon on these normally represented the geisha houses.
Three crests appear on less formal garments; sometimes just
one appears in the center back. Like uchikake and
shiromuku, tomesode have sometimes been
rented for weddings from companies specializing in wedding
apparel.
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Japanese wedding party as
photographed by LIFE magazine in the 1930s. The
bride wears an uchikake, the married women are all
dressed in formal black tomesode, the younger women in
colorful furisode
|
|
| What are Furisode? |
|
| These are fancy kimono for
young unmarried women. They are distinguished by their very long
sleeves, which were thought to be seductive when they fluttered
gracefully. Ideas of "appropriate" sleeve length
changed over the years for all kimono, and gradually
became longer. Married women always wore garments with the shortest sleeves,
however. Furisode can be any color, and can be decorated
with any technique. Hand-drawn yuzen-dyed examples were
often the most highly regarded and expensive. They were often
commissioned for a girl's 19th birthday
"coming-of-age" ceremony. They were also commissioned
for young apprentice geisha--maiko. These costly items
have not survived in large numbers, and are of special interest
to collectors. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
What is a
Hikizuri? |
 |
This is a kimono made
specifically for a performing geisha. These garments were cut
longer than normal and usually have a very lightly padded hem
that allowed the garment to swirl outward gracefully as a
dancer moved. In photos of geisha, we frequently see the long
garments held up to allow the girls to walk on the
street. Hikazuri could be decorated with any
technique-- embroidered, painted, brocaded, kasuri, shibori,
or yuzen-dyed. Some of
the most interesting are sheer ro silk fabrics that were
astonishingly expensive. Unfortunately, antique or
vintage hikizuri were given hard use by
the tea
house performers and so are often stained. It is difficult
to find beautiful examples in excellent condition.
 |
|
Wood block print, Suzuki Aarunobu,
1769
|
|
|
| How should
kimono be stored? |
|
| Kimono should be folded
along vertical lines and laid flat in a drawer. They should NOT
be hung on hangers as that puts unnatural stress on the
garments. |
|
|
|
How about
sizes of Japanese kimono? How can they be worn? |
|
Size differences among
extant kimono are minimal. They have all been made from
a standard length of fabric--a tan--about 12
yards long and 14 or 15 inches wide. They are
actually one-size-fits-all garments that can accommodate
any woman who
wears a Western dress size 2 to 12, sometimes 14. Older
garments tend to be smaller, as Japanese women gradually became taller over the years of the 20th century. Americans are
usually surprised to discover how long most kimono are, however,
as they were cut so that Japanese women could pull them up at the
waist to the precise length needed, and bind them in place with an obi.
There are many
non-traditional ways for Westerners to wear these lovely
garments. They can be bloused and worn with a chain
belt or sash. They can be worn open, as dusters or luxurious
evening coats. Occasional pieces can be shortened if desired,
depending upon their designs. Anyone wishing to wear kimono
in the traditional manner with an obi should see The Book of
Kimono, by Noria Yamanaka for complete
instructions.
For anyone wishing to make a kimono, the Folkwear patterns
company stocks a kimono pattern, with construction
guidelines. A link to this company's information appears on our website LINKS page. |
|
| |
How about an obi
or sash? |
| |
Occasionally someone asks me about a matching "belt" or sash
for a kimono. Japanese women, instead, wear a kimono with
an obi--usually a wide, stiff, brocaded, 15-foot long piece
that wraps around the waist several times and ties in an
elaborate bow in back. They rarely match these to the
kimono, but rather choose contrasting colors and patterns.
The only kimono that are sold with an accompanying sash in a
matching fabric, are garments made specifically for the
Western tourist trade or for export to the West. These were
also the types so often sold to US servicemen after the war
in the late 1940s. Although these garments often
appear on websites such as eBay, they are rarely of interest
to collectors of genuine Japanese garments.
The only kind of kimono worn by women in Japan without an
obi are uchikake--wedding kimono. These are worn open,
and trailing, as in the photo above.
Westerners more often use obis as decorative hangings, just
looping them over a short rod. They also make stunning
table runners. |
|
| What are
Haori? |
|
| These are short silk jackets
worn over kimono. Because they are attractive and
so comfortable to
wear, they are favorites among Westerners. They can be suitable with either dresses or pants, and
range from casual to extremely elegant evening attire. Like
kimono, they tend to vary only a little in size, although they
have been made in different lengths. They are worn open and
the plackets do not meet at the center front. Some haori come with short
braided ties attached just inside the center front; these can be used or
not, as desired. They can also be removed. Haori are
usually made with side gussets that can be let out by a
competent seamstress if
necessary. Women who require a size 14 or 16 might
consider wearing men's haori. Of course haori can be lovely display items
as well, hung from a straight rod. |
 |
|
|
|
Most men's haori are brown or black. The most interesting
examples have beautifully decorated linings and can be
reversed, with the painted, brocaded or stenciled panels turned
outward for display, as below. Some Westerners wear these
haori with the lining outward, although in Japan this would be
thought quite strange. |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| What is a
Michiyuki? |
|
This is a
double-breasted, square-necked silk jacket or short "coat." These usually have covered buttons
and snaps. To look its best, a michiyuki needs to be fastened, and thus the
size is more critical, than with haori. They usually fit
women who wear up to a Western size 10.
They have sometimes been worn by Westerners as dresses.
Often these garments are made of brocaded fabrics, although we
show a rare cut velvet example here. |
 |
|
|
What is a
Juban? |
 |
These are the shorter under kimono
that Western women have discovered make lovely evening
attire. VOGUE magazine, in particular, has promoted this
use. They may be hand painted, yuzen dyed, shibori,
or exquisite rinzu
silks. Some of the most luxurious are the old red Meiji period rinzu
silk garments that were worn by geisha. Men's juban are sometimes
quite interesting and are items Western women can consider wearing.
At the left is a man's juban decorated with an austere shibori
design. The woman's rinzu silk juban below has also been
decorated with shibori, and the collar has been elaborately
embroidered.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
