Japanese Kimono Designs

Shôjirô Nomura, Tsutomu Ema, Tsutomu Ema

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9780486444260
• eBook ISBN: 9780486137421
• Topic: Design
• Subtopic: Fashion Design

Japan's ancient and esteemed tradition of textile arts has long been reflected in the delicate beauty of the kimono and its appealing designs. This unique design treasury, consisting of lavish full-color pictures of a vibrant array of kimonos, is reproduced directly from two rare and costly original portfolios.
Devotees of fashion, art, and Asian culture will appreciate this beautiful book and its tribute to the elegance and refinement of Japanese art, as expressed in the colorful grace of kimono designs.

JAPANESE KIMONO DESIGNS

LITERALLY the Japanese word for “thing to wear,” the term “kimono” has come to refer specifically to the straight-cut robe that is the Asian garment most familiar to the people of the west. The kimono has a long ancestry that can be traced back to China. By the eighth century, Chinese-style robes were being worn by the Japanese court. In the tenth century, during the Heian period [794-1192], Japanese culture began to move away from Chinese traditions and to develop its own sensibility. The Heian period was one of elegance and refinement, and great emphasis was placed on dress. The basic garment for court women was square cut, but was much more voluminous than the modern kimono. As many as twelve different layers might be worn, each slightly larger in size than the last and a slightly different color. The innermost layer, the kosode (literally “small sleeve,” so named for its narrow arm openings), was the forerunner of the modern kimono. The Kamakura period [1192-1333] that followed was a period of turmoil and warfare, and the elegance of the Heian court gave way to simpler styles. By the late fourteenth century, the humble kosode took center stage as an outer garment, and by the mid-fifteenth century was worn by men and women of all classes.

Despite variations in size, material, decoration, and number of layers worn at a time, the kimono has remained a square-cut body with square-cut sleeves. In this, it differs dramatically from western dress, which tends to follow the lines of th...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• JAPANESE KIMONO DESIGNS