Video: Japanese Family Crests and Kimono

A quick introduction to Japanese family crests and their use in kimono, with special guest star Cat! He is very bad at being quiet when he wants your attention, and shutting him out of the room will just make him grab the bottom of the door with his paws and bang it in its frame. lol So I decided to try to have some fun with him being in the background. Thanks for watching!

How to Put on Hakama for Men and Women

Here are two helpful videos for complete kimono and hakama (pants) outfits. Even if you don't speak Japanese, this rental company visually walks you through the entire process step by step.

Costumers, cosplayers, history buffs, and artists might find these videos useful. There's nothing like seeing a garment in three dimensions to help you understand how it's made. :)

Women's graduation outfit: This outfit is worn by girls graduating high school or college. The mid-length-sleeve furisode (young women's kimono) in this demonstration has a much shorter hem than a normal kimono of this type because it is only meant to be worn under hakama. It would never be worn alone like a regular kimono.

Regular women don't wear hakama in the modern day outside of graduation and certain traditional sports.





Men's formal outfit: The most formal outfit for men includes hakama, along with a jacket called a haori (haori can be worn by men or women in general, as a note) and a distinctive puffball tie that closes the jacket. One note is that if you want to do a men's kimono outfit without hakama (which is ok, of course), you wouldn't tie this particular bow tie knot in the middle of the back but rather one of several different types of knots off-center on the back. This specific one in the video is meant to help support the back of the hakama.

Maiko, Oiran, Geisha: What is the Difference?

Happy Holidays, everyone!

I've made a video version of one of the most popular posts on this blog, the basic visual differences between a geisha, maiko, and oiran. Hope y'all enjoy!

Kyoto Geisha Dance Performance - The Miyako Odori

The Kyoto Miyako Odori is the biggest and most famous geisha dance in Japan, and this year I finally had the chance to go! I made a mini-review featuring a bit of the optional Japanese tea ceremony with a real geisha and maiko beforehand, souvenirs I got, and a couple of tips for tourists who will be in Kyoto in April.

I really enjoyed this: the geisha and maiko were beautiful and elegant, the sets were amazing, and it's easy to see why this is so famous. I feel it would be a true highlight of any April Kyoto trip, not only for kimono or geisha fans but anyone who wants to see traditional Japanese culture.

 

For more about geisha, check out these other articles:

What is a Geisha?

A Geisha Timeline

Geisha vs. Maiko vs. Oiran

More posts about geisha!

What is a Geisha? A Short Introduction

Hello, my readers! I'm back! I recently had the idea to do a series of posts on geisha, so that'll be the theme for the coming months. Let me know if there's anything in particular you'd like to know about, and if I can find the information I'll add it to the list.

So, what is a geisha?

Photo by Joi Ito.

The simple answer is that a geisha is a non-sexual entertainer who is prized for witty conversation, musical or dancing skill, and protects traditional Japanese heritage through the learning of classical traditions, like dance and tea ceremony.

The complicated answer is best framed in another question: “When are you asking about?”

What is a geisha? Around 1750… Street musicians and sometimes more.

An oiran, an extremely high-class courtesan. Photo by Gene Jackson.

When geisha first appeared (they were male, by the way!) around the 1750s, they were the equivalent of street buskers and musicians you see on street corners and subways today. While male customers were relaxing at parties or waiting in line at high-end brothels for the famed oiran or other prostitutes, the geisha would come in off the street to tell a few jokes or play some songs.

Eventually the profession was taken over by women, and this began raising carefully painted eyebrows around the sanctioned red-light districts as the geisha began throwing their own unlicensed parties. The courtesans and prostitutes didn’t appreciate the idea of these wandering musicians stealing customers from them, and so a law was passed that geisha were forbidden from engaging in sexual acts with customers.

Geisha didn’t mind. They were fun and engaging entertainers, able to banter in high-brow ways one minute and play bawdy songs the next, and unlike the oiran (high class courtesans) of the time, you didn’t need ungodly amounts of money or an introduction by exactly the right handful of people to party with them.

Ironically, the fate of the oiran would be the ultimate fate of the geisha themselves, but we’ll get to that later.

What is a geisha? Around 1850… The “It” girls of society. But no sex, please!

Geisha posing with a shamisen, 1870s.

By this time the oiran were out of favor, seen as stuffy and out-of-date by the party people. They’d survive, in severely reduced numbers, but it was the geisha's time to shine. 

There were still prostitutes, of course, but the best parties always had a geisha or four in attendance to sing, dance, tell jokes, and strike up interesting conversations with guests.

This was the heyday of the geisha: painters and illustrators put them all over both fine works and the popular “trading cards” of the day (cheap, mass-printed posters), every nobleman worth his salt clamored to have them at his parties, and they hung out with the superstars of the day.

What geisha wore set trends. One of the most classic obi (sash) knots worn by normal women in kimono today is the “otaiko”, the boxy-looking square. What many don’t know is this is a knot invented by some geisha to celebrate the opening of a bridge with the same name. Townswomen soon copied them and it spread from there.

What is a geisha? Early 1900s… The awkward phase.

 The trendy "modern girl" style.

Remember the oiran from earlier? They fell out of favor because their world was seen as too old-fashioned and formal compared to the fun and relaxing times geisha offered.

By 1920 geisha found themselves being boxed into the less than coveted spot of stuffy, snobby entertainers. Why? The mad rush to Westernization begun by Emperor Meiji had started all sorts of interesting new trends, one of which was the café hostess.

Geisha houses, while less ritualized than oiran brothels, still required introductions and a good amount of money from customers.

The hostesses, charming and simple in their cutting-edge "modern girl" styles, only required you to buy a drink to sit in the café and chat with them.

As far as being trendy entertainers went, the geisha collectively knew they were toast.

And they were right: to this day the hostesses and their brethren hosts still exist and have taken over the geisha spot as non-sexual entertainers who specialize in conversation.

A few geisha houses had initially experimented with things like putting geisha in full-on Victorian corseted dresses and even having line-dancing geisha, but in the end the geisha realized they had two choices: give up and become café hostesses or reinvent themselves as symbols and protectors of tradition. 

They went with the second choice.

Which brings us to…

What is a geisha now? Classic entertainer, mystery, and symbol of Japan.

Geisha are still available for hire today, if you have an introduction from a current client or friend of the house and the right amount of money and prestige. Some houses have gone so far as to start partnering with hotels or trusted agencies to even forego the introduction and lower the cost, but geisha are still very expensive and a rarity to see entertaining in person.

They have also become symbols of the country’s traditions and history, continuing to participate in cultural events like shrine ceremonies and used in Japanese ads whenever a company wants to evoke the feeling of old Japan.

Most Japanese don’t know anything about them, however, beyond the white face and tall clogs of the apprentice geisha and the association with Kyoto, where most of the remaining ones live and work.

Geisha, much as they did in their earliest days, still entertain clients with wit and humor. While geisha a hundred years ago was expected to be an expert in a wide variety of traditional arts, today one will normally focus on a single talent like dancing, singing, or playing one or two instruments.

This is no doubt partly due to the fact their training now begins years later than it used to, as modern Japanese law requires all children to finish at least middle school (9th grade in American schooling) before setting out into the working world.

All in all, a geisha is a tough, hard-working woman dedicated to a traditional world rapidly fading from the Japan of today.

Photo by Elsie Lin.

Note 1: If you’ve heard about “mizuage”, the ceremony where an apprentice geisha’s virginity was sold off as part of her debut as a fully fledged geisha, the truth is it’s not a clearly understood topic even in Japan and Japanese historical accounts within Japan itself debate the details of mizuage.

There is one clear point about mizuage, however. Does it happen today?

No. Since the 1950s and the post-occupation outlawing of prostitution, mizuage no longer occurs within the geisha world.

Note 2: Some people ask why I write "geisha" instead of "geishas" when I'm referring to the plural. The answer is personal preference, because once you learn enough Japanese the "s" just sounds wrong, as geisha in Japanese refers to both the singular and plural. It's like saying "sushis" to me.

Note 3: These posts are geared at people who know little to nothing about the geisha world, so those who do know a lot will notice I'm summing up and glossing over certain things for the sake of creating a clean, brief intro to a very complex world.

Kimono Seasonal Motifs, Colors and Flowers: Finished!

Here it is, my final post containing the text-only translations for August-February, plus links to the other months already done. (For why I'm stopping this blog, please see here.)

This has been a really intense, interesting project and I learned a lot from doing it. I hope it will be helpful to you and please let me know (on Facebook or Tumblr) if you have any questions about something in the translation.

The source for this translation is a tea ceremony website, as a note, and therefore the rules are much stricter than for everyday wear.

(If you're looking to buy kimono, I recommend Rakuten for new ones, especially casual wear, and Ichiroya for nice vintage ones!)

One last request: Please credit me if you copy and post this elsewhere. I've been working on this project for almost a year. Thank you!

March

April

May

June

July

August

Kimono

Light-weight/sheer materials like ro, sha, and hemp. The beginning of the month is still the height of summer so hemp rather than silk is still predominant. With fabrics like Echigo, Ojiya, and Noto, when they are dyed it gives a nice feeling of coolness if a white background is used.

After the first official day of autumn (around August 8), dark colors are desirable. Things like ro and sha silks are the same: after the first day of autumn dark color backgrounds are preferred to white, as they help create the sense of coming fall.

Patterns are mostly autumn plants and flowers, as we want to express without delay the coming of the season. The beauty of light-weight (sheer) kimono is in one who wears their transparent beauty skillfully.(1)

Obi

Hemp obi are paired with hemp (linen) kimono. Ro obi are paired with ro kimono, and sha fukuro obi with sha kimono. Outside of fukuro obi, ones like ra (silk-gauze) Nagoya/fukuro or dyed Nagoya ro obi can be used.

Obi for this time are lightweight as the aim is to endure the heat of the season.

Choosing colors like light beige, tea (brown), and light light blue (mizu-asagi) 70A19F that refresh us and pairing them with patterns that look like plain colors from a distance but show themselves to be small designs close up is beautiful. The most important thing to remember about the color scheme is that it should create a feeling of coolness.

Komono

Obiage are ro or mon-sha in plain colors or gradations, while thin kumihimo style obijime are used.

Use silk nagajuban with silk kimono, and hemp nagajuban with hemp kimono.

Collars should also match the nagajuban they are attached to in terms of fabric: a silk ro collar for a silk nagajuban.

Footwear will be made of things like vinyl or panama: any summer-like material that gives a sense of coolness.

Colors:

Dark blue (nou-kon), white (shiro), light light blue, aster violet (shion-iro), off-white (kinari), tea, crimson (aka or sha), transparent background material using dark colors.

Patterns:

Japanese pampas grass (susuki), pinks (nadeshiko), bush clover (hagi), Chinese bellflower (kikyou), or any of the classical “seven fall plants” (nana-kusa), Asiatic dayflower (tsuyukusa), flowing water or rivers (ryuusui), insects (mushi): anything that invites the feeling of autumn is a good choice.

Flowers Associated with August

Cotton rose (fuyou), Asiatic dayflower, Joseph’s coat (hageitou), bush clover, Chinese bellflower, Japanese pampas grass (obana), thoroughwort (fuji-bakama), Japanese arrowroot (kuzu), morning glory (asagao), patrinia (ominaeshi), mizu-hiki-sou (no English name), Job’s tears (ju-zu-dama).

Patterns Associated with August

Dragonflies (tombo), Chinese lantern plant (houzuki), lightning (inazuma), swirls or whirlpools of water (uzu-maki)

(1) You always wear two layers under a kimono, one the underkimono and one a simple shift, so in case you’re wondering no one’s running around in see-through kimono alone during August. ;)

September

Kimono: Sheer or unlined. The first part of the month is the final days of summer, and sheer ro is used. Sha, being lighter than ro, can be worn during middays on especially hot days. Choose colors, materials, and patterns that are reminiscent of autumn.

On September 9, which is the traditional “Chrysanthemum Festival” in the old “Five Seasonal Festivals” calendar, kimono change over to unlined.

Fabrics like hitokoshi chirimen, kawari chirimen, and mon-ishou are suitable, but brilliant rinzu silks are to be avoided.

Colors that harmonize with nature at this time of year are good choices: deep blue, grey, scarlet, yellow ochre, light tea, and colors that are tinged with yellow.

Patterns center around things like autumn grasses, cages for insects, and flutes. Dyed patterns shift from monochrome to color.

Obi:

Ro tapestry (tsuzure) is best, because while sheer fabric weaves like ro and sha are used in fukuro obi this month, just as they were in July and August, it’s good to suggest the coming fall by using a slightly heavier material.

Unlined kimono (not just sheer ones) can be tied with a ro tapestry obi. However, in the last third of the month obi change over to fabrics like brocade (nishiki-ori), tapestry weave (tsuzure), and pongee (tsumugi).

Calm colors in neutral hues are appropriate. Create a stylish, high-end look by carefully balancing the lights and darks of your outfit through your kimono and obi choices. Consider also how the pattern of your obi will harmonize with the pattern of your kimono.

Accessories:

Obi-age are ro, obi-jime are slightly thin. Naga-juban (underlayer kimono) are ro, as well as han-eri (collars). For footwear, summer zori in dark colors are beautiful.

Original Author’s Notes:

Kimono fabrics are ro in the first half of the month and solid, unlined ones (hitoe) starting mid-month. While September usually sees ro used for naga-juban and han-eri, they can be traded for heavier material if cold weather arrives.

Ro obi are worn with ro kimono, and obi made of things like ro-tapestry and brocade are worn with unlined kimono.

Colors:

Deep navy (fukai kon) 1A4472, light ink grey (usuzumi) 939598, ochre (oudo-iro) BA8448, scarlet (ake) ED1A3D, light tea (usu-cha) C5956B, grape (ebi-iro or budou-iro) 691C2A. Starting at the beginning of the month, slowly add warmth (warm colors) to monochrome outfits.

Patterns:

Wear ones like combinations of the “seven grasses of fall”* (nanakusa) or insect cages (mushi-kago) until mid-month. After that switch to chrysanthemums (kiku), the moon (tsuki), flutes (fue), and gourds (hyoutan).

*The seven all together are: bush clover (hagi), Chinese bellflower (kikyou), arrowroot (kuzu), thoroughwort (fujibakama), patrinia (ominaeshi), pampas grass (susuki), and pinks (nadeshiko).

Flowers Associated with September:

Fields of flowers (hana-no) filled with the “seven grasses of fall”, small chrysanthemums (ko-giku), Asiatic dayflower (tsuyu-kusa), burnet (waremokou), mizubiki-gusa (no English name, but the Latin is “Polygonum filiforme”).

Patterns Associated with September:

Pine crickets (matsu-mushi), bell crickets (suzu-mushi), insect cages, the first wild geese of the season (hatsu-kari), grass with dew (tsuyu-shiba), and flutes and taiko drums due to autumn festivals.

More Original Author’s Notes:

Regarding wearing unlined kimono in the first part of autumn:

September is the same as June in that technically sheer items should not be worn. However, given that the weather can still be hot in the last lingering days of summer, summer transparent fabrics can be worn during the first part of month if the kimono gives a sense of the coming fall through its color and the obi matched with it.

Because the weaker fall sunlight is tinged with yellow, kimono that are too white or too bright will look dull.

With sheer kimono in sha, ro, or the like, choose a dark, deep color background over a white one. Colors reference the colors seen blooming in fall fields, like the purple of the bush clover (hagi), the yellow of the patrinia (ominaeshi), and the brown of burnet.

A naga-juban’s color should be similar or complementary to the kimono used.

The 9^th of September is called “Chou-you”, and is the Chrysanthemum Festival, one of the traditional Five Festivals (Sekku). The meaning of the name “Chou-you” (literally “increase of days”) is that you have two 9s: the 9 of September and the 9 of the day itself. So the two 9s pile up.

This festival originates in China, and during the Heian time it was called “chrysanthemum season” in the imperial court. On that day poets and authors were invited to write pieces and enjoy chrysanthemum sake.

In addition to the chrysanthemum sake, in a typical household there was the custom of the “cotton cloth” (kisewata). A cloth would be covered with chrysanthemum petals, and once the cloth was infused with the scent of the flowers you would cleanse yourself with it. The belief was it would purify you and keep away illness.

October

Kimono:

The calendar switches over to lined kimono as we enter the month we can call “The Chrysanthemum Month.” Appropriately colored rinzu silks and beautifully lustrous fabric with woven patterns are preferred. Since long ago the colors for this time have been the many true ones of fall, such as calm reds, yellows, browns, black, and red-brown (azuki-iro).

Patterns are overwhelmingly dominated by chrysanthemum. Next are dignified ones like scrolls of sutras or religious writings (kyou-kan), scattered treasures (takara-zukushi) or classical court patterns (yuu-soku).

On plain kimono, it’s nice to have the lining at the bottom hem feature a seasonal pattern.

Other than rinzu silk, chirimen is also worn.

Obi

We could also call October “Shioze Month,” as both dyed Nagoya and dyed fukuro obi are made of shioze silk. For motifs, hand-drawn chrysanthemums are especially popular this month so it’s fun to try creating interesting coordinates of kimono and obi with them.

Woven Nagoya obi of the same formality (light, casual) can be used as well.

When it comes to brocade fukuro obi, keep them as casual as possible. Stylish fukuro obi are good, too. Patterns are dignified ones like “famous imported patterns” (mei-butsu-gire) and patterns reminiscent of Noh theater costumes (nou-shou-zoku).

Accessories

Obi-age are made of things like winter-weight rinzu or chirimen in plain or shibori styles. Obi-jime are flat style (hira-uchi, also known as hira-gumi) or yurugi style.

Because yurugi-style obi-jime can be worn throughout the year, they are very handy for tea ceremony wear. Naga-juban feature the same lined sleeves as winter-weight ones, but are unlined in the chest area. Collars are also fabric like shioze habutae silk or chirimen. Footwear is “enamel”(vinyl) zouri.

Original Author’s Notes:

Regarding the color of the lining of the skirt, if it matches the kimono itself in color that will give the garment a high-class feel. Also, a monochrome pattern matched according to your personal tastes works well, too.

Colors

“Fallen leaf” warm yellow-orange (kuchiba-iro), tea brown (cha-iro), yellow ochre (oudo-iro), asa-murasaki (light purple), reddish-brown (azuki-iro), gold (kin), silver (gin), ink black (sumi-iro)

Patterns:

Chrysanthemums along a wooden fence (magaki-giku), gingko (ichou), autumn leaves/fall colors (kouyou), nuts/fruits/berries (ki-no-mi), scattered treasures (takara-zukushi), classical court patterns (yuu-soku).

Flowers Associated with October:

Large-bloom chrysanthemums (tairin-no-kiku), spider mums (ran-giku), small chrysanthemums (ko-giku), wild chrysanthemums (no-giku), fall colors, gingko, ivy (tsuta), fallen leaves (ochi-ba).

Patterns Associated with October:

Ears of rice (inaho), grapes (budou), persimmon (kaki), flutes (fue) and drums (taiko) due to fall festivals, and sparrows (suzume) and small clapper-style instruments (naruko) due to rice.

More Original Author Notes:

Regarding the beginning of wearing lined kimono during the “simple” (wabi) tea ceremony season:

This month marks the end of using the portable furnace for heating water during the tea ceremony. It’s nice to have a tea room that feels old or worn-out, in the spirit of the “remains” (nagori) of the season. This word, “remains”, comes from the tea leaves used to make both thick and light tea. Chatsubo, the pot used to store a year’s supply of tea leaves, runs out around now and always has a few leaves left around the mouth of the pot after a year of use, and these are called “remains” and honored with the “nagori-no-chaji” tea ceremony.

October kimono should also reflect the “wabi” spirit and be subdued and tasteful.

With tasteful, subdued color kimono, wear an obi with fall scenery drawn in black, and an obijime in a color like red or yellow to give the sense of autumn leaves and color. This way we can truly match the feeling of the season, don’t you think?

Choose colors that match the season in fabrics like chirimen or rinzu, and go with moderate or subtle patterns when wearing kimono like houmongi or tsukesage. For komon, go with small patterns like flowers or fallen leaves. Whichever you choose, stick with only a few colors, close to a monochrome color scheme.

November

Kimono

Kimono are lined and made of fabrics like rinzu and donsu (damask) silk with patterns woven into the fabric itself, mon-ishou. The woven patterns are interlocking Buddhist swastikas (sayagata), chrysanthemums, chintz (sarasa), crepe weave (nashi-ji), and dignified ones like scraps of old patterns mixed together (kodai-gire) are suitable.

Also, for tea ceremony we want to avoid shiny and lustrous fabrics to help create a tasteful atmosphere. With chirimen, choose chirimen of a rough, bumpy texture to help deepen the feeling of fall.

Colors are autumn ones that are soft and dark like yellow ochre (ou-do-iro), beige (be-ju), dried-leaf brown (kareha-iro), green tea (matcha), vermillion/scarlet (shu-iro), and dark red (enji). Beyond these colors, gray (gure-) and navy (kon) can be charming as well.

Preferred patterns are fall flowers or fruits, nuts, berries,  or picture scrolls depicting natural scenes. The “kuchikiri-no-chaji” tea ceremony, when the seal is broken on a jar of tea for the next year, is like New Year’s for tea people, so kimono with family crests and formal outfits are worn.

Obi

Fukuro obi with flowers done in Chinese brocade (kara-nishiki) are suitable. However, big patterns should be avoided. Even if they’re younger-looking, go with small or medium patterns.

Use patterns like ones reminiscent of Noh theater costumes (nou-shou-zoku) and classical court ones (yuu-soku). For dyed obi, you can also use ones with tea flowers (cha-ka) drawn on them.

Accessories

Obi-age are plain or shibori made with fabrics like rinzu and chirimen. Suitable obi-jime are ones like kara-gumi style or yurugi style. Naga-juban are made of fabrics like rinzu with lined sleeves and an unlined chest area. Hada-juban (the underwear layer worn beneath the naga-juban) are made of gauze. Collars are white shioze habutae silk.

For footwear, it’s good to choose deep, dark color “enamel” (vinyl) zouri with a slightly high heel.

Original Author’s Notes: “Kai-ro”, when people start using the built-in hearth in a temple or tea ceremony, is equivalent to the New Year’s first tea ceremony, so bright and showy kimono are allowed.

Colors

Yellow ochre, “fallen leaf” warm yellow-orange (kuchiba-iro), green tea (matcha-iro), navy, silver-grey (gin-nezu), orange (daidai-iro), and dark red.

Patterns

Fruits/nuts/berries, wild chrysanthemums (no-giku), fruit, wild geese (kari), a mix of scattered nature and court patterns (go-sho-doki), patterns coming from old stories and legends (mono-gatari), and classical court patterns (yuu-soku).

Flowers Associated with November

Camellia (tsubaki), which can be used from October to April, scattered fall leaves (chiri-kou-you), gingko (ichou), a medley of fruits/plants (fukiyose), Chinese aster (kan-giku), Christmas camellia (sazanka), bamboo (take) due to the peaking of new leaves on bamboo at this time called “bamboo spring”(take-no-haru), and pine needles (matsu-ba), which can be used from now until the “first bath” (hatsu-yu) of spring in April.

Patterns Associated with November

Fruit/nuts/berries, bamboo due to “bamboo spring”, and cranes (tsuru).

More Original Author Notes:

The “kuchikiri-no-chaji” (“breaking of the seal ceremony”) tea ceremony in November follows the “end” of the tea ceremony year in October. From this month on, we start using new tea and to do this break the seal on a new jar of tea for the year. With this and the return to using the built-in hearth ceremony (kai-ro), it’s like a new year has begun for tea people. This ceremony in formality is much like the actual New Year tea ceremony.

If you are invited to a kuchikiri-no-chaji or kai-ro ceremony, wear a kimono with crests paired with a formal obi featuring a classy pattern. In this situation there is a need for formality. It’s appropriate to wear high-level patterns like old court patterns (koten) or houmongi or tsukesage with fall-like painted patterns, don't you think? Obi are brocade-weave (nishiki-ori) fukuro obi.

Also, on the holiday called Culture Day, we can see various traditional events and activities, including “ryuu-rei”, where a tea ceremony is done with a table and chairs. In the case of this sort of tea ceremony, nice-quality items or ones that are a little showy are appropriate. Obi can also be less formal, with ones like woven Nagoya ok to wear.

December

Lined kimono are worn. In the case of fabrics that have patterns woven into them, the type called “mon-ishou” is a good choice. Patterns include small, repeating ones like crepe weave (nashi-ji), interlocking Buddhist swastikas (sayagata), interlocking chrysanthemums (muji-na-giku), and arabesques (kara-kusa) done in a slightly glossy sheen. If chirimen is used, go with hitokoshi-chirimen or kawari-chirimen.

For patterns, we can generally see ones like the “loyal retainer” (giji) or “safety in the home” wishes (ka-nai-an-zen) style of tiny, repeating patterns (edo-komon). Choose unsaturated colors like grey (gure-), purple-chestnut brown (murasaki-kuri-iro), or reddish-brown (azuki-iro).

When going to a tea ceremony in pongee silk (tsumugi), wear a plain or dyed one. Splash pattern kimono (kasuri), even high-priced ones, are not appropriate and should be avoided.

Obi

Fukuro obi, Nagoya obi, chuya obi: the point of any kind of brocade obi in this situation is not to be flashy. Instead, choose restrained monochrome designs in lacquer (urushi) or gold and silver leaf (kin-gin-haku). With a less-formal komon kimono, a pongee obi works as well. Patterns are ones like “treasure house” large stylized circles (shou-so-in), arabesques (kara-kusa), and various chintzes (sarasa). The idea is to bring the whole body together through the choices of pattern for both kimono and obi.

Accessories

Obi-age are plain-color chirimen while obi-jime are plain-color yurugi style: accessories should have a look of clean simplicity.

Naga-juban become lined, while collars are white shioze habutae or chirimen silk. Footwear is leather or “enamel” (vinyl) zouri, and with slightly-low heels will look sharp. Coats are essential for the cold weather. Long kimono coats (douchuugi) are appropriate. Plain, deep colors and fine patterns (komon) are appropriate.

Original Author’s Notes:

When considering colors, it’s good to match the naga-juban in terms of brightness to the colors of the kimono itself.

Colors

White, grey, reddish-brown, brilliant scarlet (hi-iro), madder red (akane-iro), reddish-purple (ko-dai-murasaki), mustard yellow (karashi-iro), dark green (shin-ryoku).

Patterns

Fallen leaves (ochi-ba), Chinese aster (kan-giku), barren fields (kare-no), barren winter trees (fuyu-kodachi), nandina (nan-ten), arabesques and chintzes.

Flowers Associated with December

Daffodils (sui-sen), coral berry (man-ryou), Japanese allsprice (rou-bai), combinations of chrysanthemums, camellia, and bamboo

Patterns Associated with December

Snowy landscapes (yuki-geshiki), barren fields, snowy mountains (fuyu-yama), frost-covered trees (ju-hyou), floating sleeping birds (uki-ne-dori), Japanese citrus (yuzu)

More Original Author Notes:

Wearing lined kimono at the year’s end: For tea ceremony lessons, when wearing informal materials like wool or pongee (tsumugi) there are many chances to wear them, but be careful about how informal your outfit is.

Newly-available materials include synthetic kimono, which you can wash in your washing machine at home and come in a variety of patterns and colors.

With komon or a plain kimono, young women can wear a narrow (hanhaba) obi tied in a butterfly knot (chou-musubi) or bow-tie knot (ichi-mon-ji). Those who prefer a stylish look can wear a woven Nagoya obi of the hassun variety.

For kimono colors, go with light colors but not a variety of them all at once, and for komon kimono choose smaller rather than larger patterns.

There is a word: “from the beginning to the end” (pin-kara-kiri-made). This “kiri” refers to an ending, in the case of this month the end of the year. There is another “kiri”, which means “paulownia”, and because of this connection of the “end” kiri in sound to the “paulownia” kiri, we can see paulownia patterns on both kimono and obi in December.

January

For New Year’s Week (Matsu-no-Uchi), formal kimono with family crests are worn. Irotomesode, houmongi, tsukesage, and so on. Young women wear chuu-furisode.

Fabrics are rinzu or donsu (damask) with a glossy sheen. If chirimen is used it’s good to pick the kind that has a rough, bumpy texture. For patterns woven into fabrics, choose from ones like somewhat large repeats of your family crest, interlocking Buddhist swastikas (sayagata), stylized rising steam (tatewaku), mist (kasumi), stylized ocean waves (seigaiha), flowing water (ryuu-sui), large arabesques (oo-karakusa), or any of the many, many auspicious patterns out there!

Colors are those appropriate for early spring: cheerful light colors are focused on like pink (pinku), blue (buru-), light purple (usu-murasaki), cream (kuri-mu), beige (be-ju), and young grass green (waka-kusa-iro). Grey (gure-) is also a nice choice if it is a bright tone.

With patterns like auspicious ones (kichi-jou), a mix of scattered nature and court ones (go-sho-doki), and classical court ones(yuu-soku), a single embroidered family crest on the middle of the back will lift the formality of the kimono higher than a crest that is only dyed.

Obi

Chinese brocade (kara-nishiki), colored brocade (iro-nishiki), gold or silver brocade (haku-nishiki), haku-ichou (an obi made from only gold leaf and a single color’s thread, the contrast creating its monochrome pattern), saga-nishiki (a brocade mixing a dyed silk weft with gold/silver/lacquered paper warp). Various brocades are used and so mainly fukuro obi are worn.

Appropriate patterns include very dignified ones like “famous imported patterns” (mei-butsu-gire), patterns reminiscent of Noh theater costumes (nou-shou-zoku), auspicious ones, and classical court ones. While keeping age-appropriateness in mind, it’s fun to create refined coordinates with gorgeous obi that use gold and silver threads mixed in with color ones!

Accessories

Obi-age are plain or gradated rinzu silk, or beautiful fabrics like full shibori. Obi-jime are styles like yurugi weave in dignified colors.

Naga-juban are lined and collars are white shioze habutae silk. Additional fake collars can be layered to suggest an elegant effect.

Footwear is zouri in “enamel” (vinyl) or saga-nishiki brocade. Colors should be bright and cheerful to coordinate with the kimono and suggest the beginning of spring. The heel should be a little high, to go along with the month’s gorgeous kimono.

Original Author’s Notes:

Coats used with houmongi and tsukesage are generally made of rinzu or mon-ishou and are the michiyuki type. To protect against the cold, warm items made of things like velvet and cashmere are must-haves. Also, for cold weather you can put in another layer of lining on the sleeves of your naga-juban with the same fabric as the outside of it.

Colors

Bright colors like pink, blue, cream, beige, young grass green, or auspicious colors like deep green (fuka-midori), deep red/crimson (kurenai), madder red (akanei-iro), gold (kin), silver (gin).

Patterns

Lucky patterns like the auspicious set of pine, bamboo, and plum (shou-chiku-bai), scattered treasures (takara-zukushi), as well as court patterns, “famous imported patterns”, snow on bamboo leaves, a holly-like plant (sen-ryou), coralberry (man-ryou) and Chinese winter camellia (kan-tsubaki).

Flowers Associated with January

The set of pine, bamboo, and plum, old pine trees (rou-shou), young pine (waka-matsu), pine in stylized diamond shapes (matsu-bishi), old pine trees (ume-no-koboku), weeping plum (shidare-ume), vertical plum branches (yari-ume), plum blossoms and branches done in a circular pattern (ume-no-maru), nandina (nanten), willow (yanagi) specifically a decorate cord made of tied-together willow (musubi-yanagi), winter peony (kan-botan), Thunberg spirea (yuki-yanagi)

Patterns Associated with January

Crane (tsuru), tortoise (kame), red-crowned crane (tanchou-zuru), folded paper cranes (ori-zuru), sparrows in winter (kan-suzume), bush warblers in plum blossoms (ume-ni-uguisu), auspicious patterns like phoenixes (hou-ou), scattered treasures, treasure ships (takara-bune), open folding fans (sen-men), colored paper (iro-gami) because of the New Year’s “first writing of the year” (kaki-zome), small narrow papers (tanzaku), toy balls (ke-mari), the character for long life (kotobuki 寿), and the character for good fortune (fuku 福).

Original Author’s Notes

On wearing lined kimono for the celebration of the New Year: There are many times of year that call for formality in the tea room, but this time of year we can truly experience a ceremonial atmosphere as many people wear formal kimono like irotomesode, houmongi, and layered white habutae collars. Young women wear formal kimono like furisode or houmongi.

For the first tea ceremony of the year, we can also wear tsukesage or iromuji. Either way, all kimono should have a family crest. Kimono patterns should be auspicious ones, classical court patterns of a formal variety, plants and flowers, or the like.

For kimono patterns, try to avoid very large or showy ones as they will throw you out of harmony with your surroundings. For kimono worn this month, fukuro obi match best. Choose obi in heavy brocade featuring noble and dignified patterns like those mentioned above.

February

Kimono are lined and made of materials like rinzu, mon-ishou, chirimen, tsumugi (pongee). Finely patterned designs of blizzards or small hail, seigaiha (stylized ocean waves), small arabesques, kikkou (stylized tortoise shell), shikishi (paper boards used for writing), and other seasonal patterns are appropriate.

In the case of chirimen, hitokoshi chirimen or kawari-chirimen are good choices.

Colors are warm, quiet ones such as navy (kon), purple-red (aka-murasaki), ink black (sumi), bracken green (warabi-midori), and yellow ochre (oudo).

For tea ceremonies held at night, pale colors will look nice in the darkness of the tea room. Also, remember that the first half of February is still winter while the last half marks the beginning of spring, so outfits will need to be coordinated appropriately.

Obi

It’s easy to suggest the coming season by wearing a dyed Nagoya obi featuring early-blooming spring flowers.

Accessories

Obi-age change to plain rinzu, while you can play around more or less with which type of  obi-jime you’d like. Naga-juban are lined. Han-eri (collars) are white shioze habutae or chirimen.

Footwear features colors like navy, wine red (enji), tea brown (cha), and scarlet (aka): strong colors that are clearly defined. Zouri with heels that are a little high are nice.

Colors:

Light crimson (usu-beni), egg yellow (tamago-iro), young shoot green (wakana-iro), celadon (aoji-iro), navy, purple-red, and ink black.

Patterns:

Plum (ume), daffodil (suisen), camellia (tsubaki), holly (hiiragi). The first third of the month should show the last traces of winter, while the last third of the month should suggest spring.

Flowers Associated With February:

Plum, rosegold pussy willow (neko-yanagi), winter flowering quince (kan-boke), bracken sprouts (sawarabi)

Patterns Associated With February

Barren trees in winter (fuyu-kodachi), light snow (awa-yuki), stylized overlapping pieces of broken ice (kori-wari), bush warbler (uguisu),  and for Setsubun (Bean Throwing Festival) picture prayer boards (e-uma) and bells (rin).

Original Author Notes

About Lined Kimono for the First Day of Spring (around Feb. 4): The day before the First Day of Spring is the Setsubun festival. On Setsubun, in order to ward off evil spirits fish/dragon scale patterns (uroko) and “seven color cords” are good choices for patterns.

On this day we can see many people using red, white, purple, yellow, green, blue and gold for obi-jime colors and fish/dragon scale patterns on obi.

If you’d like to use a seasonal pattern, go with snow. Snow on bamboo leaves (yuki-mochi-sasa), stylized snowflake rings (yukiwa), blizzards, large snowflakes (botan-yuki): there are a lot of patterns using it!

Another favored pattern is plum blossom, a prized flower of early spring. The first to bloom, its chaste beauty appears in the deep cold of winter. It is also considered an auspicious flower. 

When it comes to variations like plum branches (eda-ume) and stylized plum blossoms (kourin-ume), there are many designs but ones done in the bright, sharp colors of spring are best, don’t you think?

How Far Would The Fukushima Nuclear Plant Be From These Cities?

Hello, readers!

After my move to my new city and job and getting settled, I've been working on a September motifs post and hope to get it up soon (and then backtrack to August).

In the meanwhile, congratulations to Tokyo for winning the 2020 Olympics!

Given the attention that will be turning to Japan because of this, I thought I'd give some perspective regarding the distance between the Fukushima disaster site and Tokyo by showing the same distance starting from other cities around the world: New York, Chicago, London, Canberra, Amsterdam, and Johannesburg.

I'm not wading into the controversy surrounding the TEPCO plant with my opinion on the situation: I just wanted to give a clearer idea of the distance involved.