Kimono -1- ^_^

You know... I was thinking about telling you about the Kimono's history but I bet that would have bored you... so I'll try making this a little more interesting for all of you

The kimono is the traditional clothing in Japan. The types of clothing in Japan are:

Kimono - meaning clothing or things to wear is the basic japanese clothing

Yukata - the summer kimono. In the summer,many women wear a yukata, a light-weight cotton kimono, to attend festivals. Most yukata are navy blue and white, but girls and young women sometimes wear brightly colored, floral pattered yukata. Some people wear them around the house. Japanese inns and hot spring resorts often provide yukata for guests to wear in their rooms.

Nagajugan - undergarments.

Clothing Accessories - obi, shoes, socks, etc.An obi is the sash tied around a kimono. It can be tied in a variety of simple and eleborate ways. An obi may be as wide as one foot and as long as 13 feet. Some complicated styles may take as long as half an hour to tie.

Haori - short silk jackets. A formal kimono can be worn with a haori jacket as well as the hakama. The haori is held closed with a braided cord tied in a decorative knot. Today this type of outfit is mostly worn for very formal occasions, most commonly by the bridegroom during his wedding ceremony.

Michiyuki - Overcoats. Michiyuki are three-quarter length coats that have square collars and necklines. Michiyuki, like haori, are very wearable, and complement many outfits very nicely.

Hakama - japanese pants.Hakama, which may look like a skirt XP, are actually a pair of pleated pants, worn over a kimono. Hakama are worn today on formal occasions, and are also used in the practice of the traditional martial arts such as Aikido, Kendo (fencing) and archery.In the martial arts, it is said that the seven pleats of a hakama represent the seven virtues of bushido which are:

1. Gi --the right decision
2. Yu -- bravery
3. Jin -- universal love, benevolence toward mankind; compassion
4. Rei -- right action, courtesy
5. Makoto -- sincerity, truthfulness
6. Meiyo -- honor
7. Chugi -- devotion, loyalty

Uchikake - most formal kimono. Uchikake is a highly formal kimono worn only by a bride or at a stage performance. The Uchikake is often heavily brocaded and is supposed to be worn outside the actual kimono and obi, as a sort of coat. One therefore never ties the obi around the uchikake. It is supposed to trail along the floor, this is also why it is heavily padded along the hem. The uchikake of the bridal costume is either white or very colorful often with red as the base color.

Shiro-maku - wedding kimono. The kimono worn by a bride is usually pure white. Often a brightly colored (usually red or orange) over-kimono is worn on top of the white bridal kimono at the wedding reception.

You can find the pics of those clothes on my Japan album

Interesting fact: the sleeves of the kimono indicate the age and marital status of a woman. A young unmarried woman would wear a furisode, a colorful kimono with flowing sleeves that hang almost to the ankles. The Furisode, made of of chirimen and decorated by yuuzen, is appropriate to wear on formal and ceremonial occasions, such as weddings. In contrast, a married woman wears a kimono with a short sleeve.

To be continued...