The background of Play KIMONO and the potential of kimonos

Societal pressure: "Kimono must be worn this way!"

Many have likely encountered the opinion that "this is how you wear a kimono" or that "anything else is not a real kimono."

Admittedly, Kyo-Gofuku Nijuhachi, the company I run, specializes in the true quintessence of such kimonos, and we conduct our business while deeply moved by their beauty and sensibility.

However, it is impossible to overlook the fact that taking this to an extreme is one aspect that has led to the current trend of people drifting away from kimonos.

Take dressing (kitsuke), for example.

When looking at footage from the early Showa period, even in busy areas of Tokyo, we often see many instances that, from a modern perspective, would be considered disheveled—collars hanging loose or obi sashes sitting at a slant.

This is something I learned from a craftsman: around the time of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, a prominent expert in kimono dressing argued, "It is disgraceful for Japanese people to have their kimonos coming apart when guests from all over the world are visiting. We must wear kimonos more beautifully!" This led to an increase in kimono dressing schools nationwide and the pursuit of "correct" dressing.

What began with a sound philosophy eventually became hollowed out, shackled by the singular notion that "wearing it beautifully and precisely above all else is the only virtue," and that is how we have arrived at the present day.

This is not limited to dressing alone. We kimono merchants—the root of all evil—are the same.

During the frantic atmosphere from the era of rapid economic growth leading up to the bubble economy, we pushed the sale of luxury goods to inflate unit prices.

Furthermore, to sell more products, we imposed complex rules on consumers centered around customs that had formed between the Meiji and Showa eras, promoting sales by claiming that one needed to buy all these items to abide by those rules.

Of course, while those claims did help support a beautiful and wonderful kimono culture, it was difficult for Japanese people to maintain these traditions amidst city life as Japan westernized and modernized further.

Also, while the kimono world insisted on doing things the old way even as new values were being cultivated following the feudal era and the war, the apparel industry creating general clothing was completely Western-oriented (my apologies for not praising either side).

As a result, I feel that Japanese clothing has become stateless. I strongly feel that I wish kimono merchants had engaged with it as apparel.

A waste for Japan

The idea of the "statelessness of Japanese clothing" might seem like an unconventional concept to the public, but looking at Japan today, I cannot help but feel frustrated.

If the history of a "certain country in the world" that has Westernized were short, or if it were a culture without uniqueness or sophistication, lacking in refinement, then perhaps it would be acceptable to paint over it with another country's culture (though I would still find it a shame).

However, the various things Japan possesses are the exact opposite of that.

It is a country that was an island nation closed off by the sea, and while it received some influence from abroad, it continued a largely pure-culture evolution of clothing (see "Birth of Edo Mode: Fashion Trends and Star Artists" by Nobuhiko Maruyama, p. 31). The things created by the curious, dexterous, and craft-minded Japanese people include countless examples of sophistication that rival anything in the world.

　

The Potential of "Play KIMONO"

To popularize Japanese-style clothing, we must create attire that would make kimono enthusiasts ask, "What is that?"

In fact, items labeled as "KIMONO" are selling quite well in the West (2014 article: https://newsphere.jp/entertainment/20140819-8/).

They are marketed as "Kimono robes you can easily wear at the beach," and they are filled with products that even a Japanese person with no interest in kimonos would want to correct by saying, "That is not a kimono."

However, I believe that these KIMONO sold overseas are the evolutionary descendants of kimono-inspired clothing, tracing their ancestors back to the "Japonse rock" and "Cambaya" exported from Japan in the 1600s.

It could be called the KIMONO of the world, something Japanese people are unaware of.

Left: Japonse rock, Right:Cambaya (Nihon Keizai Shimbun: Kimono is Freedom, Yuzuruha Koyama, Head of the Crafts Department at the Tokyo National Museum)

It is unbelievable to think about now, but in the 1800s, the kimono was accepted in the West for its comfort and functionality. It was not Coco Chanel, but the kimono that first liberated women from the constraints of the corset (reference: p. 34 of the link https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/kansei/16/1/16_33/_pdf).

Since its great popularity in the West, the kimono has even served as a catalyst for the birth of front-closing dresses and straight-cut Western clothing.

Given this historical background, KIMONO-like apparel has become deeply rooted in the West, but my concern is that Japanese people likely have no involvement in it whatsoever.

There should be great significance in the original Japanese people creating a KIMONO brand based on the kimono as the authentic source.

Moreover, the level of awareness of KIMONO is among the highest in the world. I believe the opportunity lies in the fact that there is no high-quality supply to meet this name recognition and existing demand.

Is the kimono truly a finished form?

Even looking just at the 2,000 years of Japanese attire, we can see that it evolved uniquely while being influenced by foreign sources.

https://costume.iz2.or.jp/period/asuka.html

There are various cases, but when Emperor Meiji adopted Western dress, there was immense opposition within the Imperial Court. To overcome this, he argued, "We have worn clothes with large sleeves since the Heian period, but these are for the weak. Emperor Jimmu, who ruled through martial power, wore cylinder sleeves and narrow trousers, and it is time to return to that era," and he adopted Western dress (Ref. p. 53: http://meijiseitoku.org/pdf/f55-3.pdf).

I think that was a remarkable "ultra-C" maneuver.

It is not certain where Emperor Jimmu's attire came from, but the common people had used cylinder sleeves for a long time since ancient times.

There are many other essences for creating new Japanese-style clothing.

・V-necks were called "horyo" (square neck), and crew necks were called "banryo" (round neck).

・Clothing with side slits was called "ketteki" and was worn by military officials who carried swords while on horseback. Slit-less garments were called "hoeki" and were for civil officials.

If you base it on history, there are many customs that originated abroad.

・Right-side overlapping (migi-mae)

Court attire from the Asuka to Nara periods could be called imports from the continent, and the fact that current kimonos overlap with the left side on top (migi-mae) originates from the "Ujin-rei" (Right-Opening Decree) of the Taiho Code in 701, which followed the Tang style.

・Black crested kimonos (kuro-montsuki)

The highest-ranking kimono for men, the black crested kimono, was created after entering the Meiji period in response to the Western morning coat. Matching it with striped hakama trousers is also because the morning coat is worn with striped trousers.

Given these facts, even for those who refuse to acknowledge anything but the kimono, one must acknowledge that a broader perspective is necessary.