No, I have not forgotten this little project of mine. Just got caught up with all that has been going in here. But this morning I found a few hours to continue this (and then go clean the bathroom). Sorry about not writing about the Dyed Patterns as I had promised, I ran into a wall with few of the pattern techniques and I'm still researching for confirmation/backup information and additional information on few technique patterns, but it's coming up. So, let's look at the standardized types of the kimono this time while I search more information on the dyed patterns. I am sorry for the inconvenience.
Types of Kimono
Uchikake is considered bridal kimono nowadays. Uchikake is a heavily embroidered and dyed outer kimono, that was historically used by the higher classes. Uchikake has the long furisode styled sleeves and it has padded hem. As the kimono is worn trailing, the padded hem helps to keep the hem in s beautiful shape. The pattern in uchikake covers all the kimono surface and the patterns are those considered celebrational for example cranes, flowers, fans, clouds and tortoise shell patten.
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| Uchikake in The Book of Kimono. |
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| Uchikake by Wikipedia. | | | | |
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Shiromuku is an all white uchikake. Because pure white is also used in burial clothing, white wedding kimono has a woven patterns to distinguish that the wearer is not dead. Shiromuku as a term can also be used of a whole white wedding ensemble. Shiromuku can have a crimson colored lining, red being considered a youthful color suitable for a bride.
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| Shiromuku with tsuno-kakushi headpiece. |
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| Shiromuku with wataboshi head piece. |
Kakeshita is a bridal furisode. It has a slightly padded hem and it's worn trailing. Kakeshita is said to be solid color, but the term is also used to describe one and all bridal kimonos. Generally kakeshita is worn under the uchikake and tied with an obi, most likely to be the maru obi.
Mofuku or kimono for mourning is a solid black kimono with five family crests, or mon. During the Meiji period the closest family members of the deceased could have worn a full white mofuku. All accessories are solid black in a mofuku. Only tabi socks and the underkimono, juban, are white. In a kimono ensemble a solid black color is traditionally considered a sign of mourning.
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| Mofuku by Kimonocentral. |
Shinishouzoku is the pure white, no patterned burial kimono. All accessories are pure white, thou small decorations are acceptable. Red obiage and undercollar is used for young women's burial kimono. Unlike all other kimonos, this one is dressed by placing the right on top of the left. Meaning that the siding of the collars in Japan divide between life and death, as in western clothing it divides between man and woman.
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| Burial kimono for a woman from IG. |
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| Burial kimono for a man from IG. |
Tomesode is the mort formal wear for a married woman. There are two kinds of tomesode, the kurotomesode (black tomesode) and the irotomesode (colored tomesode). Black is always more formal than the colored. The kurotomesode always have five family crests and should only be worn by married woman. Irotomesode always has atleast one mon in the centre back and can be worn by unmarried ladies as well, if they feel that they have grown out of the furisode. The pattern in tomesode runs in the hem of the clothing and while being dressed, never rises higher than the hips. The pattern runs over the seams, which is a sign of a formal kimono. How high the pattenr rises depends on the age of the wearer, the high rising patterns are considered more youthful.
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| Kurotomesode by my.opera. |
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| Irotomesode by nippon. |
Furisode is the formal kimono for an unmarried woman. The name of this kimono comes from the long, swinging sleeves of the kimono. The pattern of a furisode covers all of the kimono and it can be very brightly colored. The most decorated obi knots are also considered for the furisode ensemble. Nowadays also the obijime and obiage can be tied in very decorative styles. Furisode can be divided into three sub-categories depending on the lenght of the sleeve: Kofurisode (small swinging sleeve), Chufurisode (middle lenght swinging sleeve) and the Honfurisode (the true furisode with full lenght sleeves). As the girls school edjucation started the school uniform for girls was a kofurisode patterned in the yabane (arrow pattern) style with a hakama worn over it. Even today the style is used in graduation ceremonies.
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| Furisode by fashion.3yen |
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| Furisode by The Book of Kimono |
Houmongi or kimono for visiting. As a formal kimono it is acceptable to wear it for a wedding of a friend or a distant relative. It is said that the houmongi is the simplified version of the tomesode and the furisode. Patterning of a houmongi is rather free, but is usually consist of a decending pattern in the hem and on the sleeve/shoulder. The pattern size can be large or small. Houmongi can have mons. The pattern in a houmongi runs over the seams without breaking. The lining material in a houmongi can differ from the kimono fabric. The sleeve lenght can vary between 55cm-70cm.
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| Houmongi by fashion.3yen |
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| Houmongi by japanmade |
Tsukesage kimono is quite like the houmongi by means on pattern, but it is considered to be less formal. The difference between houmongi and tsukesage is sometimes so small, that they can be nearly inseparable. Nowadays a hybrid of houmongi-tsukesage combines the two kimono types into a multi-use kimono. How to tell them apart then? Unlike the houmongi, a traditional tsukesage is dyed before the kimono is constructed, meaning that the pattern stops/has a hiccup when it goes over the seams.
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| Tsukesage by yamatoku |
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| Tsukesage from IG |
Iromuji is a kimono without a pattern, but it can have a woven pattern and mons. Iromuji is never solid white or solid black. Bright, vivid colors are considered youthful and fitting for a younger woman and the broken tones and darker shades are more suitable for an older lady.
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| Iromuji by shop-japan |
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| Iromuji by sweetstore-nihon |
Komon is an all patterned kimono on which the size of the pattern can diverse between almost solid color to almost plate sized. In most komon kimono the pattern run differently between the sides of the kimono, meaning that on the other size run upside down when compared to the other side. There is a hybrid, tsukesage komon, on which the pattern runs the same on the whole kimono. The small patterned komon is called Edokomon and the pattern is so small that it looks solid colored until you inspect it on close range. Ebakomon is a very rare kimono type in which the striped run horizontally.
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| Komon from plumandblossom |
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| Komon from IG Wiki |
Yukata is a cotton kimono used after a bath or at a summer festival. Liza Dalby writes in her book Kimono - Fashioning Culture, that the japanese do not consider yukata to be a kimono, but a bathrobe, because of the lightweight cotton used to make it. Many vintage yukatas are white-indigo blue patterned. This type of blue is considered the symbol of lasting things, because the dye stayed in the cloth long without fading.
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| yukata from jlifeinternational |
Wool has been growing into popularity as a kimono material. Wool kimono can be komon patterned or solid color. Lighter wools are reserved for summer and heavy wools are lined and used in the winter.
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| Wool kimono from Kidoraku Japan |
References:
The Book of Kimono by Norio Yamanaka
Kimono - Fashioning Culture by Liza Dalby
ImmortalGeisha Forums
ImmortalGeisha Wiki
