On any given weekend, the streets of Tokyo’s fashion district, Harajuku, are heaving with young pleasure-seekers promenading with their friends. Whether cruising the iconic Laforet fashion centre and its infinite variety of tiny boutiques and designer stores, or attending J-pop idol book signings, their strict weekday regimen of study or employment is given over to youthful abandon. Venturing down Takeshita Street to indulge in renowned Marion crêpes filled with strawberries, azuki-bean paste and whipped cream, or treating themselves to the recent craze for rainbow cheese toasties (Google it!) or strawberry whipped-cream sandwiches, Gen Z – or Zoomers, those in their mid teens to late twenties – voraciously seek a lifestyle and fashion that will not only distinguish themselves from previous generations but, most of all, shock their parents.
From the 1940s and Japan’s redevelopment through the austere postwar decades, followed by the hedonistic pursuits of the bubble economy of the 1980s and 90s, wearing Japan’s traditional costume – the kimono – was increasingly seen as a dying tradition. Difficult to put on and physically restricting when worn, kimono were deemed impractical for a modern lifestyle, typically reserved for formal occasions. In the spirit of Japan’s new imperial era, Reiwa (‘beautiful harmony’), inaugurated in 2019 and characterised as an era of ‘culture being born and nurtured by people coming together beautifully’, a new generation of young Japanese are challenging ideas of modernity and rediscovering their country’s heritage and unique fashion traditions by reinventing the kimono. New kimono designer labels like Robe Japonica, Modern Antenna and Y. & SONS, alongside talented artisan kimono artists like Tamao Shigemune and Rumi Rock, present new street-fashion themes like ‘super cute’ (kawaii), ‘playful gothic’ and ‘new dandyism’.
Craving new designs and innovative fashion statements as rapidly as the seasons and years change, visitors to Harajuku are a continuation of Japan’s intriguing design and fashion traditions. Time-travelling back two hundred years, the same scenes of youth demanding innovation in fashion were found in the popular recreational and shopping districts of Ryogoku along the Sumida River, Asakusa around Senso-ji Temple, and the celebrated pleasure district of Yoshiwara. At this time, the city of Edo (the former name of Tokyo) was considered the world’s most populous city – as it still is today – its burgeoning economy driven by an affluent merchant and samurai class. Fashion-conscious youth, conservative established families and professional courtesan entertainers all sought the latest kimono, with insatiable demand for new and innovative styles.
The word kimono is a combination of two characters (着物), literally meaning ‘thing to wear’. This term has only come into common use in the modern era, particularly from the Meiji period (1868–1912) during the second half of the twentieth century. Early kimono-like garments worn by officials were originally based on Chinese costumes that were brought to Japan during periods of exchange, from the Kofun period (300–538 CE) to the Nara period (618–907 CE). It was during the time of great cultural development and independence of the Heian period (794–1185) that a unique style of court costume known as junihitoe (twelve-layer robe) was developed for women of the imperial court, as magnificently illustrated in depictions of episodes from the Tale of Genji. The undergarments of both men’s and women’s court costumes from this time were known as kosode (literally: ‘short sleeves’) and were simply constructed silk garments made from joining lengths from a bolt of fabric.
Through the subsequent Kamakura (1185–1333) and Muromachi (1333–1573) periods, Japan experienced feuding imperial factions and rival military lords displaying their ruling bravado and status through costume. During this time, silk kosode became increasingly decorated and the chosen garment over which layers of opulent outer robes known as uchikake were worn. Very few examples of uchikake from this era remain; however, their appearance, style and use of luxuriantly woven and embroidered fabrics have been preserved through the seventeenth century into the present day in the production of Noh theatre robes. Such magnificent examples include the gorgeously decorated asuita (meaning a thick, heavy stiff fabric) in the NGV Collection, featuring alternating block designs with auspicious symbols, such as bamboo grass leaves (sasa), cloud-shaped gongs (kumochoban), stylised flowers (karabana) and interlocking deer horns.
As the waning years of Japan’s medieval era drew to a close during the Momoyama period (1573–1603), the seventeenth century ushered in a time of peace and prosperity known as the Edo period (1603–1867). The simply constructed kosode became a common garment across all classes. Simple in tailoring and generic in form, the kosode distinguished the social standing of its wearer through the quality of materials used, the fineness of techniques employed, and the sophistication of coded decorations and motifs displayed. Bustling cities and towns became the backdrop for people flaunting their wealth, personality and social position. While the ruling classes were rarely, if ever, seen in public, the samurai class, alongside the recently financially empowered merchant classes, became the driving force of creativity and innovation in fashion.
The samurai classes, who associated themselves with the preservation of Japan’s cultural heritage, cherished symbolism alluding to poetry, the sophisticated Noh theatre and the changing seasons. The Katabira kosode, summer kimono with bouquets and scattered fans, early – mid 19th century (purchased with funds donated by Peter Chu), a lightweight summer kimono made from ramie fabric that would be worn by high-class samurai women, showcases colourful bouquets of peonies, hollyhocks and wisteria against a white background. Scattered throughout are fans displaying bamboo, maple leaves, pine trees, butterflies and pine needles, alluding to the changing seasons and poetry from the Hyakunin Isshu, the classical anthology of one hundred poems by one hundred poets.
Celebrating their recently established financial power, the merchant classes also took great pride in appreciating the subtle nuances of seasonal themes, as can be seen in the Katabira furisode, summer kimono with falling snow scene, early – mid 19th century (purchased with funds donated by Cecily and John Adams), a light-yellow ramie kimono. In a visual pun, the decoration on this summer-weight garment features snow falling diagonally onto a frosty landscape festooned with bamboo, rocks and plum trees bearing the first blossoms of spring, intended to evoke a cooling sensation for its wearer during the hot summer months.
A prominent feature of both the yellow katabira furisode and the red Uchikake furisode, wedding kimono with pine, bamboo, plum, and cranes, early – mid 19th century (purchased with funds donated by Michael and Emily Tong), is their furisode, or ‘swinging sleeves’. Furisode indicate their wearer is a young, unmarried woman, serving as unmistakable signals of nuptial availability when worn out, perhaps at the theatre, or in shopping and recreational districts. The uchikake furisode wedding kimono highlights the auspicious colour of beni (red) and features a delicately precise shibori (tie-dye) design of cranes, bamboo, pine trees and plum blossoms, symbolising long life and happiness. Pine trees, plum blossoms and bamboo are known as the ‘three friends of winter’, representing strength, resilience and rebirth – qualities associated with a successful and congenial marriage. Furisode for young women were often the most expensive and gorgeously decorated kimono to produce. Treasured items filled with nostalgia, they represented the owner’s youth and, in many cases, they were altered to have their sleeves shortened after marriage to allow for ongoing use.
The kimono continued to transform and innovate through Japan’s modern era of the late nineteenth century and into the early twentieth century, with new materials and techniques used to make vibrantly decorated garments. The creation and use of lower-grade silks, mechanically woven wool and synthetic rayon, all decorated with bold geometric and stencil-applied ikat motifs (meisen kasuri), made innovative and exciting kimono designs affordable for youthful modern urban dwellers and the working classes. These innovations continue to this day, with the use of polyester and digitally printed fabrics that not only fulfill the traditional role of a kimono as a simple and practical garment but also represent traditions perpetuated by innovation and creativity, encapsulating the social identity of each new generation. While the kimono has remained simple and consistent in form and tailoring over the centuries, it is the individual choices of fabric, colour, pattern, and adornment that reveal the ever-changing story of Japan and its people.
Wayne Crothers is NGV Senior Curator, Asian Art.