The Case of the Dying Kimono
41
have allowed wearers to remain more comfortable in the hot and humid
Japanese summers. As is often the case with clothing, the design and
purpose evolved and later, layered fashions moved away from the earlier,
more functional style. Clothing of the Nara period (646-794) was
strongly influenced by the Tang Dynasty; however, during the Heian
period (794 - 1185), a variation of the kimono was worn by the
aristocracy at the Imperial court. By the Kamakura period (1185 - 1336),
the fashion changed as members of the rising military aristocracy
adopted the underkimono worn by the Heian aristocracy as an outer
garment because it allowed for greater ease of movement. The garment
was called a kosode which means “small sleeves.” ®
Fashion continued to evolve during the Kamakura and
Muromachi periods, but was still largely influenced by the needs of the
warrior aristocracy. With the arrival of the Tokugawa Shogunate and a
more settled political and military environment, the seventeenth century
became a golden period for the kosode. These changes were stimulated
by the growth of the merchant class as well as influence from Noh
dramas and courtesans who were often fashion innovators. Courtesans
often wore their kosode with long, tasseled cords, wrapped around the
hips six or seven times. This was called a Nagoya obi and was based
upon a fashion in China.’ Around the middle of the Edo period, the focus
slowly shifted from the kimono to the obi. During this time, many
women began to wear obi with a furisode, or long-sleeved kimono,
imitating courtesans and Kabuki actors. Encouraged by the consumerism
of the growing merchant class, the kosode became a canvas for
innovative weaving and dyeing techniques such as yuzen, a complicated
wax resist technique, and bold designs including floral patterns and
scenes from literature.*
The shift to the modem kimono occurred