Japanese Clothing

Some of you might think this is weird, but I love traditional clothing. When I recently went to Japan to visit my relatives, I stumbled upon a history museum. It was an interesting museum that gave me an insight on the transformation of the Japanese lifestyle. The most intriguing part of this museum for me was the section on clothing. The showcase on the evolution of Japanese clothing was astonishing, which is why I decided to write about Japanese clothing.

The Japanese people during the prehistoric times wore clothing that were colorless and made of plants. If you look at the picture below, that is what the typical people wore at that time. People also tattooed their body. All you fashionistas must be disgusted by this colorlessness of the clothing. But don’t worry! It gets prettier thanks to the influence of other countries.
　

(Pre-historic Clothings)

From around 250-500 AD, the Japanese came in contact with the people in the Korean peninsula. Around 550 AD, there was a mass immigration from Korea. This was because Korea was split into three kingdoms that were fighting each other. The war forced many Koreans to flee to Japan. Subsequently, the immigrants brought many technologies and objects to Japan. One of the things they brought was clothing. In this era, the Japanese started to wear clothing that were very similar to that of what the Koreans wore at the time. If you look at the images below of the two countries clothing, the design and shape are quite similar. Do you see the similarities?

  

(Japanese Clothing 538-650 AD)            (Korean/Goguryeo clothing from 400-600 AD)

Once again, the Japanese clothing dramatically changed from 650-710 AD. During this time, Japan was relatively poor and weak compared to China and the Korean countries. Empress Jito, who wanted to create a strong and rich country like the Tang dynasty, incorporated many aspects of the Tang dynasty into the Japanese culture. She even changed the official Japanese court clothing to that of the Tang dynasty’s. The two countries court clothing in the images below show how identical they are. I’m personally glad that the Empress changed the court clothing. Look at that design! It’s so pretty.
   

          

          

(Japanese clothing from 650-710 AD)         (Tang dynasty clothing)

However, around 1000 AD, Japanese clothing became more original. Japanese people started to use their own design and got rid of many Chinese influences. In the past, the Chinese emperors treated Japan as a sub-country. Therefore, this was Japan’s strategy to prove to the Chinese that they are independent. Maybe Japan and China’s rivalry started around this era?

This new clothing was distinct in that women wore 12 layers of cloth on the outside. In the inside, they wore something that was like a Kimono and pants over it. They tied the 12 layers with a cloth that went around the waist. Men’s clothing didn’t change as drastically as the women’s clothing. However, if you compare the men’s clothing from the earlier period, the sleeves became longer and the pants became puffier. This evolution reflects the social standards of this era. Women, in this era, did not really have any role. They didn’t even need to take care of their children. Therefore, the women were able to wear such uncomfortable clothing. I wish I was a person from this era. I don't need to do anything!

(Japanese Clothing from around 1000 AD)

Around 1200 AD, the Japanese political structure drastically changed. The aristocrats and the imperial family started to lose power. The warrior class took over the government by creating their own separate government in northern Japan. With the decline of the aristocrats, warriors started to fight each other for power. This was the beginning of the Warring state era which lasted for about 400 years. Due to all the wars, the people during this period had to wear clothing that was easier to move around. Instead of wearing 12 layers, women started wearing just 1 or 2 layers. The sleeves became shorter and the length of the clothing became shorter as well. This type of clothing was actually worn in the earlier time period too, but as a undergarment.

　

(Japanese clothing during the Warring state era)

Since then, the Japanese traditional clothing has not changed as much. This is probably because Japan was in a state of complete peace and they also halted trade with most foreign countries for 200 years. However, the sleeves did get longer as it approached the modern era because this was thought to be prettier. During the 1880's, the Japanese began wearing western clothes to show that they were industrialized. It’s a shame that these traditional clothes are no longer worn. But don’t worry! People still wear kimonos during special occasions.

(Modern Japanese Kimono)