Oh, this is AWESOME. It really does clear up a lot of things, and it's not even half of it. You've outdone yourself

And 6 HOURS, my, makes my head hurt just thinking about it, and you're gonna do more. Seriously, I just might fall in love with you. There is so much effort put into this...... you've earned karma from meh.

I don't have questions as of yet, give me a few reads for everything to settle (and for the rest of clothing to come) and I'll probably be bombarding you.

I was gonna ask if those poofy pants are a kind of hakama tied together at the ankles, buuuut, since you haven't gotten to that part yet, I'm going to refrain (and leave it for later )


But, seriously, how could those people move in that restrictive clothing, I'd have lost my sweet, sweet mind three seconds in.

~lily

P.S. Why's this at the top?

NOTICE: This forum will be 'under construction' for a while.

PICTURES: If a link does not work, please tell me! Particularly if you're a minor, because some image searches can result in nudity...

Some awesome and helpful sites:
A lot of my information comes from books, but these sites are very helpful and safe to browse:
---> Sengoku Daimyo: This website is very thorough in the entire culture of Japan, and the clothing section is amazingly informative.
---> Rebirth of the Tale of Genji: The Costume Museum: A little tricky to find things, but very informative and lovely to browse.

Words of clothing may vary, but that is to be expected in every language since clothing can be named based on: material, dye, cut, thickness, added features, status of individual wearing it, the order in which the clothing is worn in an outfit, job title of wearer, occasion, ect.






:: Occupational Wear ::
Religious Figures:
---> Buddhist Daisojo (eri-maki, gojo-gesa, enbimosu)
---> Buddhist Hoshi (Jikitotsu, Igiboso, jizo-gesa, Kataginu, Rakusu)
---> Buddhist Komuso (shakahachi, fukaami-gasa, teko)
---> Buddhist Osho and Kobozu (kaku-obi, kesa, heko-obi)
---> Buddhist Yamabushi (tokin, yui-gesa, hanten, matsuri-happi, suzukake, tattsuke-bakama)
---> Shinto Kannushi (coming soon)
---> Shinto Miko (susoyake/koshimaki, hanjuban, hakui, datejime, andon-bakama, hibakama // kosode-kimono, hakama, machidaka-hakama, umanori-hakama, sode-kukuri, muha-himo, chihaya)
*Samurai (coming soon)
*Ronin Samurai (coming soon)
*Officials (coming soon)
*Lords and Ladies (coming soon)

:: Occasional and Casual Wear ::
Underwear/undergarments (Fundoshi, Rokusyaku Fundoshi, Sarashi, Yumoji)
Kimono:
---> The Parts of the Kimono (emon, eri, eri-sake, hiro-eri, sodetsuki-sen, senui, sode, tamoto, marumi, okumi
---> Basic Layers (Hadajuban, Nagajuban, Datemaki)
---> Men's Kimono (kaku-obi)
-----> Wearing Variations (Shirikarage, Futokoro, Futokoro-de, exposing the torso, sitting)
---> Women's Kimono (makura-obi, koshihimo, ohashori, munehimo, datejime, honobi, otaiko, obi-ita, obi-makura, obi-age, obi-jime)
---> Differences Between Men's and Women's Kimono (Emon, Length, Tailored, Yatsukuchi)
---> Seasonal kimono (coming soon)
---> Kimono for occasions (coming soon)
Extra Layers: (Dotera, Kaimaki, Haori, Happi)
Men's Formal Wear (coming soon)
Women's Formal Wear (coming soon)
Children's Formal Wear (coming soon)

:: Accessories ::
---> Footwear (geta, setta, tabi, waraji, zori)
---> For Hair (miko)
---> For Carrying/Wearing (furoshiki, kasa, sensu, suehiro)
---> For Traveling (gasa (kasa), kappa, Mino)

:: Clothing of Inu-Yasha Characters ::
Please see new forum if you want information broken down by characters.




Religious Figures:
Buddhist Daisojo - This is the name of a Buddhist High Priest. He wears the basic layers of a Buddhist hoshi, plus some accessories and hats and garments. Normally they wear an eri-maki, which is basically a scarf designed to go up and halfway over to the wearer's ears before sloping down along the eri (collar) of their kimono. A gojo-gesa, or 'five paneled kesa' (yes, gesa and kesa), is worn over their kimono, obstructing most of it with thick, hanging panels of cloth draped over their shoulders and arms. It looks like this but with another strip of the outer fabric over the uncovered shoulder. There are also enbimosu (formal/ceremonial headdresses) depending on the daisojo's sect (either Nichiren sect or Rinzai Zen sect). This enbimosu is also known as a Kannon-boshi, which is named after the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (say that three times fast...) named Kannon in Japanese. Another enbimosu, worn specifically by the Jodo(Pure Land) sect, is called a suikan, and it is the same width as the head when viewed from the front, but twice the length from the side.

Buddhist Hoshi - Hey, our favorite pervert is under this category! Miroku is a Buddhist hoshi (monk), but he does stray a ways from the classic garb. The basic first layer of a hoshi's attire follows the description of undergarments and the men's kimono, with a fundoshi, nagajuban, and finally a kimono, which will either be black of grey in Japan. The tamoto(hanging sleeves) of the kimono and the hem vary in length for hoshi. With the arm held straight out, a tamoto may hang at the commoner length (which is down to the waist) and the hem will be above the ankles as seen in the men's kimono, or the tamoto may be twice as long (like Miroku's) and hang to the knee, which is the formal robe's look, and the hem will hang closer to the ground. In addition, basic robes include a jikitotsu, which is a skirt-shaped, pleated clerical garment that goes from the waist to a few inches below the knees and is tied into place over the kimono's obi. Here is a more modern jikitotsu commonly worn by hoshi starting in the early Edo Period (1603-1868) to today. Some even regard this garment as the 'Edo jikitotsu'. This garment change makes the jikitotsu most of a hoshi's outfit, omitting the kimono. Traditionally speaking though, the jikitotsu was just the skirt part of the image, and had a solid band of cloth around the waist before the pleats began. Buddhist monks are prone to wearing tabi and either zori or (while traveling) Miroku's sandal, called a waraji (see Footwear under Accessories for more details). This concludes the basic robes of a Buddhist hoshi in Japan, and there are several further variations.
--->Igiboso: a modified (smaller) rakusu, an apron hung over the neck. Wearing igiboso.
--->Jizo-gesa: Think of it as a small quilt blanket with either no design or a variety of rectangles and boxes designed on it (and not in atrocious colors). Wrap this around the body so it gaps at the left side, and secure it in place with small cords at the top corner under the armpit. To hold it in place, there is a broad fabric band that goes over the wearer's left shoulder and may be adjusted in length.
--->Kataginu: The link shows a monk wearing the rakusu over his kataginu. Miroku wears a kataginu over his robes, and I believe he either forgoes the jikitotsu or it is the same color as his kimono. The kataginu resembles the garbs worn mainly by Buddhist monks found in other countries, particularly Nepal and India, but the garment is not uncommon. This garment may be worn over the basic kimono ensemble in a manner to cover the left shoulder (but not the eri [collar]) and hangs down but still reveals the jikitotsu.
--->Rakusu: an 'apron' worn by Zen hoshi. This is how it looks when being worn and when it is tied flat against the torso.

Buddhist Komuso - Practitioners of Fukeshu, a branch of Zen Buddhism, Komuso do not shave their heads and wander as itinerant, mendicant hoshi who play the shakahachi (a type of flute) for alms. Their clothing consists of the basic hoshi robes, and includes the igiboso-kesa (apron, above), the fukaami-gasa , and teko (metacarpal protective hand covering, what Sango and Miroku wear variations of).

Buddhist Osho and Kobozu - Osho are Buddhist priests (ranked between a hoshi and a daisojo, I believe), and forgo the jikitotsu in favor of the simple kimono (typically white or gray) tied in place with a firm kaku-obi and short enough to show the nagajuban underneath. They will also drape a kesa over their shoulders. They may also adapt the look of the jizo-gesa.
The kobozu is an apprentice hoshi, and simply wears the basic hoshi garb which only stretches to the knees (the nagajuban does, the white robe is shorter), and is tied in place with a narrow heko-obi, its knot tied in the front which is classic for children's clothing.

Buddhist Yamabushi - Okay, that link not only shows the proper outfit, but it also portrays the legend around the yamabushi tengu. It claims that they originated as goblins with long noses or as humanoid birds, but over hundreds of years became more human in appearance and served a protective role in human affairs. The yamabushi tengu may choose any age or gender of human to appear as, but prefer to be seen as a barefooted yamabushi (hoshi of the the mountains) wanderer. Back to this hoshi, the yamabushi wear a tokin (small black hexagon shaped hat) on their brow, a yui-gesa (a stole with ornamental tufts) over either a hanten or a matsuri-happi, and under the hanten a suzukake (linen robe with a short hemline, worn by ascetic hoshi). For pants they wear a pair of tattsuke-bakama (a hakama worn by wayfarers and cinches to billow down to the knees, then tapers off into the ashi-goshirae look), and cover their feet with tabi and waraji (these last three words found in 'Footware').

Shinto Kannushi - Shinto kannushi (priests) wear very specific attire and do not stray much in fashion compared to Buddhist hoshi. I am hunting down more terms before finishing this part (my book is rather vague on this subject) so also COMING SOON, haha.

Shinto Miko - Shinto miko (priestesses/maidens) wore on their feet have tabi and zori. The rest of the clothing varies. The first paragraph of this will go over traditional garments, then the next paragraph will describe the clothes used in the Inu-Yasha series.
---> Traditional garments: miko wore two layers of clothing: the layer we see and the undergarments. The undergarments consisted of a susoyake (wrap-style underskirt which is also less popularly known as a koshimaki) which ended short of the ankles and prevented the miko's feet from becoming tangled in the next layer to cover her legs, and a hanjuban (wrap-style shirt) made of a thin linen material which is slightly see-through and consists of short sleeves and small armpit vents and ends at the waist a few inches below where the hanjuban starts. This layer is typically thin, breathable, and white in color. Over these undergarments the miko puts on her long white hakui (kimono-like robe) which ends around the ankles and is tied into place around the waist with a datejime width of fabric. Over this kimono-like layer goes the final garment, the red colored andon-bakama (named for its shape's resemblance of a Japanese paper lantern) or hibakama (named for the red color). Generally speaking it may be called hakama so long as the person reading or hearing about the article of clothing knows that a miko is wearing it, meaning that the design is like a long pleated skirt (but complicated beyond reason). As opposed to staying in one piece from ankles to waist, this style of hakama splits its skirt (from the knee up) into a front panel and a back panel. Both of these halves sport long thick strips of fabric called himo for securing the garment, and a firm yet flexible supportive board across the back called the koshi-ita to keep the fabric from rolling with wear. Actually tying the garment in place gets too tricky to really bother with explaining (not for a lack of trying...). Here is a visual aid for tying on the hibakama in a traditional manner (and I have no idea how the clothing stays in place on the side of her we can not see, perhaps the straps are connected on one side: image With that, the miko is traditionally dressed.
---> Rumiko Takahashi did not give her characters traditional miko clothing (in fact, most people don't, it's a friggin' hassle and you can not move quickly in the proper garb). Instead, she gave them 'pants' (a style of hakama called either machidaka-hakama or umanori-hakama, which are differentiated depending on whether they have a high godet against the wearer's back or are designed for riding horseback [respectively]). In case you did not catch yet the reason for why this disrupts the entire miko outfit, it's because of the fact that you simply can not wear a hakui and susoyaki under 'pants'. So, time to start with the beginning. To protect the clothing, a woman can wear a fundoshi (underwear), but doing so was fairly uncommon. Above the underwear we can keep the hanjuban, followed by a layer which most closely resembles a kosode-kimono (shortened kimono), but the sleeve length is a little too short. Then comes the choice of genuine hakama, which are even more difficult to put on than the hibakama so here's a safe site link: image
---> As exemplified by Kikyo, sode-kukuri (cords) may be woven through the hems of the sleeves for decoration, and a muha-himo string may be looped around the neck (but its purpose is to attach to the eri (lapels/collar) of the garment and tied together to help keep the garment shut), which leads to the following item:
----->The chihaya, reserved for ceremonies, is worn as an outer, large-sleeved robe which ends at the knees over the miko garb, and requires the use of muha-himo to keep it in place. Here is a link to an ordained, traditionally garbed miko wearing the chihaya for visual aid: image
---> Please see 'Accessories --> For Hair', for more details.


COMING SOON:
Samurai
Ronin Samurai
Officials
Lords and Ladies





Underwear/Undergarments:
Fundoshi - The traditional men's undergarment which is sometimes still worn today with traditional clothing. A fundoshi is a length of cloth approximately two and a half feet long sewn on one short end around a tie so as to secure it around the wearer's waist. When tied, the cloth hangs down the backside near the wearer's calves. It may be worn one of two ways now, pulled forward between the legs and either tucked under the knotted tie, resulting in a front flap of excess fabric, or over and then under the knotted tie, which will tuck the excess fabric away and against itself creating a fabric diaper appearance on the front. Because of its design, when viewed from the side the fundoshi is not very visible, and the easiest part to see is the ties around the waist as the fabric lays covering the bottom and the groin.
Shows front flap and covered bottom variation: image
Shows tucked in front and twisted back variation: image
---> Rokusyaku Fundoshi - This style of fundoshi is a very long fabric due to its lack of straps, and is worn with many twists and looks so exceedingly uncomfortable and complicated that I'm just adding two visual links on how to put it on. image. If you want to see a demonstration video, and if you do not mind seeing a man naked with the exception of his groin (plenty of innocent butt shots, you've been warned), click here.

Sarashi - A bleached white cloth used to bind a woman's chest in order to assist in creating the desired slim and minimally curved figure which is seen as ideal for kimono, or for covering the details of a woman's breasts while wearing thin fabrics.

Yumoji - By modern standards, this 'underwear' is still going commando (without something up against the groin and between the legs). A yumoji is a short sarong-like fabric which wraps around the wearer's hips and above the knees and ties securely, creating a tight-fitting layer which will not show pantie lines or bottom cleavage while wearing a kimono. image


Kimono:
The Parts of the Kimono:
Doura - An extra layer of fabric on the interior of the kimono which lines it for protection down to the waist.
Emon: The part of the eri at the back of the neck.
Eri - The collar. Eri are always folded right under left from the wearer's perspective. If dressing a corpse, the order is reversed. There are two types of eri, one being the classic cut, the other being the hiro-eri, a cut which widens as the eye travels down to the waist. Eri may differ in width as well.
Eri-saki - The end of the eri.
Fuki - The hem of the kimono.
Furi - The bottom of the tamoto.
Mae-migoro - The main panel of the kimono, on the 'outside' of the okumi seam.
Marumi - The rounded corner of the tamoto (located beneath wrist when arm is extended).
Okumi - The small panel which connects to most of the eri.
Okumi seam - The seam seen on the front of a kimono separating the okumi panel from the mae-migoro panel.
Senui - Back seam.
Sode - The sleeve (part which touches the arm when it is held outright). Does not include the tamoto.
Sode-guchi - literally meaning 'sleeve hole', this is where the hand sticks out.
Sodetsuki-sen - this is the seam line where the sode attaches to the body of the kimono.
Suso-mawashi - The interior of the kimono not covered by the doura. May become part of the fuki.
Tamoto - The hanging, pouch-like part of the sleeve. Does not include the sode.
Tomoeri - Fabric sewn over kimono eri for reinforcement.
Uraeri - The part of the doura which covers the underside of the eri.
Ushiro-migoro - The back panels of the kimono, which are interrupted by the senui.
Yatsikuchi (Miyatsu-kuchi) - The vent interrupting the sodetsuki-sen of women's kimono.


Basic Layers - There are two under layers specifically designed for kimono:
------> Hadajuban - Named for coming in direct contact with the skin, this is reserved to be used with fine clothing as a protective measure to keep the finer fabric from touching the skin. In recent times, or for those who do not have the money for an extra layer, the hadajuban is omitted sometimes from outfits entirely. The hadajuban is never seen, and consists of elbow-length sleeves and a mid-calf reaching hem. The fabric is thin and designed to breathe, and since this layer is never seen (save sometimes peeking out through arm vents in the women's kimono) it is not colored. To tie it in place you normally just use a simple thin sash (koshihimo).
-------> Nagajuban - The layer which goes under a kimono, the nagajuban is only seen sometimes in the vents of the women's kimono and around its eri, the latter of which is normally colored for appearances. The sleeves of a hadajuban (if being worn under the nagajuban) need to be pulled and settled into the sleeves of the nagajuban before this outer layer is tied shut. The nagajuban is designed to pull away from the neck when worn by a woman, and ties into place first with a thin sash under the breasts, then with the datemaki (under-obi), a broad length of fabric designed to have its middle matched to her wearer's upper abdomen, be twisted around the wearer's back, then looped around itself in the front to create an appealing design.

Men's Kimono - The men's kimono is a simple, plainly colored and patterned garb, and is most commonly worn by townspeople who are not required to (a:) get onto their knees often (like farmers and artisans) or (b:) to run (messengers and palanquin bearers) in their line of work. Men's kimono may be worn without a nagajuban, but the under layer will be donned if it is cold out or if the kimono is being worn for a formal affair. The kimono will be held closed by a kaku-obi, which is thick in material, narrow in width, and stiffened. The knot of the kaku-obi rests in the small of the back, and is designed to have the ends stick out in the two o'clock and eleven o'clock positions.

Wearing Variations:
--> Because men are able to be more free in what skin they expose, their kimono may be shed and/or tucked in a variety of ways to make certain tasks easier. Taking the hem of the kimono, a man may lift it up over itself and tuck the hanging material into the back of the obi, creating a gathered fabric look to it which hangs down to mid-thigh. Wearing the kimono this way is called shirikarage, and it allows a man to more easily spread his knees, brace himself, run, or to perform a task on his knees and keep the kimono clean.
--> Another popular manner for wearing the men's kimono is to keep the arms out of the sleeves and folded against the abdomen inside of the kimono, in the section called the futokoro. The action of keeping one's arms in the futokoro and leaving the sleeves to hang is called futokoro-de. There is plenty of variation of this common act, depending on personal taste, and the ones linked here are mostly for men who believe that their chests are eye candy and who do not mind being informal in appearance (a revealed chest was very rare, at least off of the streets and out of brothels or drinking rooms, but an external kimono could be opened like this with the under layer still covering the chest undisturbed).
--> Men are also able to expose one or both arms and their shoulders from the kimono. As far as I can tell, there is no specialized term for this. Since men's kimono do not have a vent at the bottom of their sleeves (like all women's kimono), to do this act they must bend their elbow slightly, creating more room in the tamoto by spreading the sode (see Parts of the Kimono) and making it spread between three points (shoulder, elbow, wrist) instead of just two (shoulder and wrist). The fingers are dipped into the sleeve, and the hand may pass through the tamoto's cavity and tuck into the armhole, where the fabric covering the torso is seamed to the sleeve. The man will then move his hand across his chest, exposing it to the wrist outside of the eri, and force the fabric out by pushing his arm forward. This not only gives him room to work with, but it also shortens the hem of his kimono due to pulling the fabric up past his obi, making things easier if he is getting himself into a fight. Once this bulge is created, he may move his arm (with the hand still exposed and upraised) 180 degrees away from his chest, making the kimono fall off of his shoulder and hang over the obi and down the wearer's legs. This process may be done with both arms as once, and while it seems difficult, it is very easy to do with practice. Once this is done, the kimono will not look the same if they were to just lift it back over their shoulders. They would have to undo the obi (and any underlying obi), and re-knot their kimono once it is hanging straight off their shoulders. Many people believe that they can achieve the same effect by grasping the front of their clothing, tugging it forward, then shrugging out of the kimono, but this entangles the arms and (surprisingly enough) takes more time to do. Women may also do this with their kimono, but the force required to pull the fabrics up past their various, firmly tied obi is tremendous. It is possible, but the woman would require a lot of upper body strength and a lack of fear for exposing her breasts or her sarashi (see Undergarments).
--> When sitting, a kimono is 'safe' when the wearer sits in either the seiza or the kiza styles, but if they sit agura they then risk a peep show at their fundoshi. The high infrequency of women wearing fundoshi is why they prefer to sit seiza. Men enjoy sitting agura, and so long as they do not lift their knees too high it is fine when at a table.

Women's Kimono - Women's kimono consist of many pieces and typically require help in putting on. The hadajuban is optional, but women will always wear a nagajuban with their kimono. Once the kimono is draped onto the shoulders and the arms are through the sodetsuki-sen, it is important to tuck and settle the tamoto of the nagajuban into the tamoto of the kimono before proceeding. With extra fabric on the floor around the feet, the front panels (okumi and mae-migoro) are folded right under left and tied into place just under the waist with a narrow sash called the makura-obi. The job of the makura-obi is to keep the panels aligned and closed while the top of the kimono is wriggled upward and past the makura-obi, adjusting the kimono's length. When the length is as desired, this excess fabric is released and allowed to drape over the makura-obi, creating a 'pouch' of cloth over the abdomen. This 'pouch' fold will become the ohashori once the datejime (and later the main obi) is put on. Over the 'pouch' is first tied a thin sash called the munehimo a short distance under the breasts, which is then covered by a broad band of fabric (similar to the datemaki) called the datejime. The datejime is held with both hands so the middle can be placed over the munehimo, then the two sides of the datejime are exchanged behind the back (switch hands) and are brought back forward. The ends are twisted together over the middle of the datejime, then tucked away to create an appealing fold. Next comes the honobi (main obi), which unfolds to about eight feet in length. The honobi may be tied in a variety of ways, and I recommend youtubing it if you're curious. Otherwise, the basic steps are to fold most of it around the waist, leaving three feet of the starting end (meaning the end that gets wrapped over by the rest) hanging over the wearer's shoulder for later. The honobi is tied into a rear knot called the otaiko, which literally means 'drum'. To keep the otaiko's back flat, you need an obi-ita (a stiff, flat waistband). To make the otaiko voluminous (stick out), you need to insert obi-makura ("obi pillow"). To keep the otaiko upright, you need an obi-age sash, which ties through the otaiko and around the top of the honobi, knotting in the front. The obi-age is then tucked into the honobi, making sure that it is not sticking out too much and taking attention away from the kimono's main attraction (the honobi). Over the middle of the honobi is tied the final piece of the women's kimono ensemble, the thin, braided obi-jime cord, which is about five feet long. The obi-jime is passed through the otaiko so that its middle is in the 'drum' and the remaining ends can be held out straight ahead. The ends are then looped around one another, then backtracked so as to tuck the obi-jime ends at the sides, drawing a bit of the end under the body of the obi-jime. Other tying methods exist, but this is the main one.

Differences Between Men's and Women's Kimono:
Emon: The collar of men's kimono lays snugly against the back of the neck, the collar of women's kimono 'leans away from' the neck, but not too far.
Length: Men's kimono will expose his ankles. Women's kimono almost touch the tops of their feet. image
Tailored: Men's kimono are tailored to the wearer's height. Women's kimono are made long so as to create the ohashori.
Yatsukuchi: Underarm vents. Men's kimono do not have them, women's kimono do. The vent serves as an access point for adjusting the clothing, either by the wearer or for shaping the ohashori fold. This image points out the vent when the outer obi is off (still leaving the ohashori fold) and the wearer is holding the tamoto in her upraised hand.


---> Seasonal Kimono - (COMING SOON)
-----> Spring and Fall:
-----> Summer:
-----> Winter:


Extra Layers:
Dotera - A thick half length kimono designed to be worn over another kimono to guard against the cold.

Kaimaki - A dotera designed for sleeping. Very encumbersome and padded, and particularly thick at the cuffs, eri and hem.

Haori: may be worn as a coat over any kimono and is never tied shut. This garb is versatile in fabric quality and patterns, and may have five family mon (crests, one per breast, one per elbow on the back of the sleeve, and one between the shoulder blades).

Happi - The happi (coat) is like the haori, but it is normally loosely closed around the waist, leaving the chest bared, with a simple sash. It is common for laborers to wear nothing else but the happi and a fundoshi.


Kimono for occasions: (coming soon)
Men's Formal Wear: (coming soon)
Women's Formal Wear: (coming soon)
Children's Formal Wear: (coming soon)






Footwear:
Ashi-Goshirae - Common among the working class (at least for those who do not go around barefooted while wearing sandals), this span of fabric is like a modern day leg warmer. It reaches from the bend of the ankle (overlapping the tabi socks a bit) up to just under the kneecap, above the calf, and fastens at the top and bottom with short cords called habaki.

Geta - Sandals made with elevated wood supports. Men's geta are square, women's are more oval and are called komageta.

Setta - A flat, thick bottomed sandal made of bamboo bark and straw with leather soles.

Tabi - Cotton socks with a split to separate the big toe from the remaining toes, designed to allow the wearer to slip into shoes. The classic color for this is white, and the interior fabric is made with high durability to handle the wear and tear of daily use. Traditional tabi were fastened with strings, not clips.

Waraji - A traveler's sandal, made of straw and bamboo bark and designed to wrap securely around the wearer's foot and up around the ankle.

Zori - A dressy, oval, short heeled sandal consisting of either straw or lacquered wood and thong straps made of fine fabric, typically silk. While being worn, the wearer should notice their last two toes hanging over the zori. This is normal. Notice the traditional heel, do NOT get caught up in modern zori images if working with historically accurate material.


For Hair:
Miko: A miko's hair style denotes her rank as a miko. Those with unbound hair are jokin (apprentices) who may serve as part-time assistants for a shrine. Ordained miko wear their hair pulled back, and may wear a hair ornament of washi (white handmade paper) strips tied on by red and white (ceremonial colors) cords called mizuhiki (image 1, image 2). Here is an image of just the washi.


For Carrying/Wearing:
Furoshiki - A long cloth used to wrap items, or to strap, cover, and tie things (even infants) to someone's torso, typically on the back, or simply for carrying items like bento (lunch boxes). Travelers commonly used this cloth to strap their fune bako (safe box) to their back while traveling on foot, or a traveling merchant would use the cloth to secure their fune dansu (merchant's ship safe) with their wares stored securely inside.

Kasa - An umbrella. Closed Opened

Sensu - Child's folding fan, or a tiny fan. A standard accessory with formal dress, usually inserted under the obi, may be worn by adults.

Suehiro - Adult's folding fan.


For Traveling:
Gasa (kasa) - Wait, we just did 'kasa' above to mean umbrella, right? We did. 'Kasa' means 'cover', and when it is given a specific category to describe what type of cover it is, the word changes to 'gasa', and what that means is 'hat'. This is the hat made of sedge, rice straw or reeds which is used against rain, snow, or sunlight while outdoors. There are many styles of gasa, including the common suge-gasa, the sando-gasa, the ronin-gasa, the Buddhist takuhatsu-gasa, the jin-gasa (war hat), the tareginu-no-mushi (bug hat), and the highly recognizable hat of the komuso, called a fukaami-gasa . Most gasa will have either a circular insert or fabric padding for the head to keep it from touching the outer part of the gasa, and they will tie under and around the chin (under the lower lip) to stay secure against little gusts and stumbling, but these straps can be outmaneuvered by heavy winds.

Gappa (kappa) - Simply means 'cloak', or to make it sound similar, 'cape'.

Mino - Like the gasa, there are many types of mino, differentiating mainly on what parts of the body they cover. All mino are made of rain repelling rice straw, and secures by around the wearer's neck (or in the first listed example, the waist). Different types include the koshi-mino (waist and hips), the kata-mino (covers shoulders and complete back), the do-mino (covers from shoulders to mid-calf) and maru-mino (covers body from shoulders down), the sei-mino (covers only shoulders and top of back), and the mino-boshi (covers the head and upper torso).

Awesome work, lady, and I appreciate the information greatly!!! I think this may become one of our more popular and referred-to threads for the depth of information you've provided.

Thank you SO VERY MUCH!!

~~Wiccan~~

Sure thing, I'm glad you like it! Please post any clothing questions you have here, kay? ^___^

~AD

*shrugs* LOL, I personally don't see how some women in our society can wear the pants they do.

As for Sesshomaru's pants, I can start on the two star characters of this site today. Much of his clothing is actually going by mainland customs (Chinese), including his shoes, sash, and armor. It's where I got the idea to start saying he was from China in my fanfics, which would provide a good excuse for Takahashi to not give us any more delicious inu males to look at throughout the series. > LOL

Anyway, Sesshomaru's hakama have two different names, and none of them will look like his (blame him manipulating yoki or something, please. I can't offer an excuse for Inu-Yasha). This hakama was specifically reserved for courtiers, and went by either sashinuki hakama or nu-bakama, which I don't know the difference between yet but here's some pics regardless. They DO tie at the ankle, but this is normally to allow the fabric to gather over the wearer's feet. By all appearances, the fabric is highly starched, making it rebelliously poof out away from the body, and to make it strong against the overlying weight of other clothing, these hakama are most likely made with a thicker material as well, such as a double layer of cotton as opposed to the common use of linen.

A thorough answer, but I'll copy it for later. Of the three images, do you prefer one?

Thanks for leaving a comment, and thanks for the karma!

P.S. I think the main posting will push yours down after I edit it again, but I could be mistaken.

This suggestion was very intriguing, and while it could have inspired his outfit greatly, sadly, it is not accurate in titles for a variety of reasons, which I'll list below.

Pants: suikan-no-shimo (aka suikan-no-hakama), were a specific style of pants which differentiated themselves from others mainly due to the dye pattern, starting as a dark color at the base and fading or turning white as the dye was drawn into the fabric. Based on its cut and style, without this dye style the pants would be called either sashinuki hakama or nu-bakama (simply two different words, like in english 'home' and 'residence').

Top outer layer: The sleeves are the desired length and the hem ends at the waist, but this garb is decorated, colored, and designed (notice how it closes in the front and borders the neck in a square, not a cross front like we find on a kimono) for a different style, signifying the wearer's title and position in the court. I had gotten excited seeing this, but since I'm anal I had to burrow around the internet a bit, haha.

Top inner layer: This layer DOES have the crossing neckline, and its hem is bound to end around the waist. However, in regards to Japanese clothing in general the interior sleeves will be smaller than the exterior sleeves, so we lose the sleeve size with this possibility. Also, since much of the clothing is named based on its order of wear, cut, fabric used, color, and the status of the individual wearing it, with this garment being a nigh invisible under layer Sesshomaru would not be able to wear it with dignity as an outer layer, particularly since he put an effort into having it designed.

By all means, considering his age if nothing else, I would not think of it as harmful or insulting to the Japanese culture to hint that he had the clothing made to his liking. The exterior of his top is an oddity because normally when sleeves are at that length the body of the garment will be long as well, simply as a show of wealth, or as we see with this portrayal, it will be jazzed up to show that while the wearer chose to go the cheaper rout and use less fabric, according to their accessories they are still very wealthy. Clothing, after all, is a huge indicator of one's status, even in highly evolved and sophisticated society life we use brand names and fashionable cuts and flashy expensive accessories to make others look and think "sheesh, they're important if they're doing something to get paid so much."

Phew, a bit of a rant, sorry. I really am delighted though that you offered this! 8D In turn, I'd like to offer a link I enjoy referring to while updating this forum: link. This has a lot of dull tiny pictures, and uses several moth eaten examples, but it does give in-depth detail to clothing, which is nice. If you want to read up on your suggestion, scroll down to 'suikan' and read the two articles. ^_^

Thank you again! :* Your participation is greatly appreciated, and I hope you will share any future thoughts you have on this matter.

~AD

Sess has the most complicated wardrobe I've ever seen. I think, though, this is more due to Rumiko-sensei's affinity for 'going with whatever looks good'. I read from an interview that Rumiko-sensei originally planned for Sess's mokomoko to be just a simple, small boa, indicating his aristocratic status, but she drew it too big. However, it looked good so she kept it as is >_>

I agree though that his clothes are most likely repaired by his youki. My evidence would be that we've seen Inuyasha's fire-rat clothes get damaged and even completely disintegrated many, many times, yet it faithfully makes its reappearance the next episode - unmarred and perfect We definitely know Inuyasha doesn't have a lot of them, if more than one at all, since they're supposed to be incredibly rare.

Furthermore, SESSHOMARU'S CLOTHES NEVER GET DIRTY. Like at all. They remain pure, freaking, blindingly white 24/7, no matter how dirtied up their wearer gets. I wanna know the trick behind THAT. Half of me hates to buy anything white because you can never trust it to stay white. >_>

Anyway, thank's so much Aura! I will admit, while reading your story (How to Escape an Arrange Mating etc), especially the scene where Sess was dressing Kagome, I literally split the screen in half, one side devoted to your story, the other side open purely for the purposes of Google-ing every time a new term came up XD

Yes. Yes he does, LOL. That's why I spare myself a bit and say 'it's just special', LOL. As for the fur, I can sort of see it being a fashion statement, but wearing fur wasn't a common practice in Japan, and we also see it in his true form billowing over his shoulder in the same exact fashion, so whether it started off as an accessory or not... *shrugs* LOL, I would not be surprised if the idea simply 'evolved', things tend to when you're creating stuff. And yes, it DID look good, LOL, big and warm and fluffy. XD

Ah... The wonders of yoki. I swear, there's a pinch in ever bottle of bleach, LOL. As for the mending, yeah, it's just the easiest excuse out there, haha. I'm not sure how Inu-Yasha's clothing was supposed to mend itself, but perhaps that sword of his can spare some now and again if his decency is at risk... And Sesshomaru's clothing has gone through some pretty hard times, even when he simply ripped it away in the episode when he uses a dragon's arm.

Haha! Aw, yeah, sorry about the bulk of vocabulary, I tend to go overboard. Perhaps I should add a note in that chapter that I have a reference forum for clothing, LOL.

Thanks for the post! I really enjoyed replying to it. ^_____^ And it serves as a break from replying to reviews from two different sites. I feel like I'm re-writing the chapter there're so many, haha.

Keep this in mind if you have any future comments or any questions! ;D

~AD

*nodnod* There are a lot of discrepancies between Sesshoumaru's costume & the image I supplied (which was from here, btw); it's just that it is the closest overall visual from that historical timeframe which resembles Sesshoumaru's costume.

Once I mistakenly thought that Sesshoumaru's top was a hitatare, but I think, hitatare's more of a commoner's attire, not for the upper class and the sleeves are the wrong size. It seems that anyone with rank and/or authority would wear layerssssss, especially in that distant past, and the gentlemen's outermost upper body garment almost always is a suikan or something similar. The probable exception to the dress code would be this dude.

As such, it would also be safe to say that Rumiko Takahashi simply took what was convenient and melded them together - this top with that bottom, embellish it with those and those, these sleeves with that body, you know? Hee..

Sengoku Daimyo IS a nifty website to read up more on Japanese clothes!

Behind the Scenes of Inuyasha (A look into Rumiko-sensei's coughunusualcough process):

Part 123125 - the Making of Lord Fl--I mean, Sesshomaru

"Alright, time to design Lord Fluffy now. Cept I can't actually CALL him Lord Fluffy in the manga because then he'd pop out of the pages and kill me with his blinding perfections...kill....perfections....Killing Perfection! Alrighty, his name is gonna be Sesshomaru!

He's gotta have silver hair like Inuyasha, but prettier. He's gonna be my pretty but macho youkai. Now he's gotta have some kind of markings....but what? **is distracted by a Sailor Moon rerun** Oooh let's give him a crescent moon on his forehead, just because! And I'll give him magenta strips on his cheeks, to make his face look more angular...he'd insist they're 'royal purple' or something but they're definitely magenta...

Now what should I have him wear. Let's see, it's gotta be kimono-like, obviously. Having the collar cut straight across would look dorky on him, like he's wearing an apron *Mentally pictures her pretty but macho youkai in a kitchent**....yeah. No. Ok, so overlapping collar, got it.

**laundry machine beeps** **Checks dryer** Oohhhh my whites are still yellow!! Grrr! I'm gonna make Lord Fluffy wear white just so that SOME white clothes in the world stay white.

And lets see he's gotta have billowy sleeves because they're cool looking...and obviously he's gotta wear pants to fight...Hmmm but now he's looking a bit too....poofy. Let's give him some armor. It'll cinch his waist! Hm? What was that Lord Fluffy? Oh fineee I'll give you some spikes to suit your macho-ness. Happy?

Now...something's still missing...A ribbon! I love ribbons. Wait, I guess the only way he'd wear anything ribbon-like is if it was a sash...more waist cinch-age! Ohhh and I'm gonna make it drape prettily on his hips too...and a bow...it's gotta have a bow of course...But what color? Hmmm **looks at yellow and blue walls** I got it! Yellow and blue!

Still missing something...Oh a pattern, I guess, since he's Lord Fluffykins he can't have just a solid color wardrobe... **tea boils** **absentmindedly puts some honey in**...Honey? Honey combs? Hey that works! And since he's my pretty but macho youkai I'll put in some flowers in the middle...and make it red. That's a macho color right?

Just one more thing...He's Lord Fluffy so he's gotta have something fluffy....a BOA! Yes! It'll make him all noble like! **draws boa** ...Ooops I drew it a bit too big...But it looks so soft and fluffy...it looks good...Meh I'll just keep it. Oh wait, but now I need to have it 'add to his character' or something...it'll wrap around him when he becomes my big fluffy dog...I guess he can even use it to fight, because he's the type to actually fight with something so fluffy...OOHH Let's have it make him fly too! But wait...now he has three ways to fly...Meh humans will just have to be jealous I guess.

And there he is! My Lord Fluffy aka Sesshomaru! **Squee** Now, POCKY TIME"

Yeah I don't know what possessed me to do that...please feel free to ignore this post >_>

Nysrina wrote:
*nodnod* There are a lot of discrepancies between Sesshoumaru's costume & the image I supplied (which was from here, btw); it's just that it is the closest overall visual from that historical timeframe which resembles Sesshoumaru's costume.

Once I mistakenly thought that Sesshoumaru's top was a hitatare, but I think, hitatare's more of a commoner's attire, not for the upper class and the sleeves are the wrong size. It seems that anyone with rank and/or authority would wear layerssssss, especially in that distant past, and the gentlemen's outermost upper body garment almost always is a suikan or something similar. The probable exception to the dress code would be this dude.

As such, it would also be safe to say that Rumiko Takahashi simply took what was convenient and melded them together - this top with that bottom, embellish it with those and those, these sleeves with that body, you know? Hee..

Sengoku Daimyo IS a nifty website to read up more on Japanese clothes!
That's true, it IS a close outfit. I had been really excited to see it, but then had to research it and was all: aw, darn it! I love that the basic garb is for court nobility though, even their children, which could add depth to another's story should they wish it. ^_^

The hitatare was actually an intriguing suggestion. If anything, we could call Inu-Yasha's top a hitatare because it is designed to be cinched at the wearer's wrist. The only 'issue' I'd have with that is the design of Inu-Yasha's top in the front where it closes, because it breaks off the cross-fold whereas the classic hitatare has it. Just the opposite of Sesshomaru's issue with the other top, LOL. I've read that both hitatare and 'suo' (can't find a pic for the last) were designed for the shogunate as special samurai garments, so that's interesting. I'd be tempted to call Sesshomaru's top a yoroi hitatare, because it is very fitting, but the whole point of the hitatare is that it closes the gap at the wrist so it's all: GAH! Haha. But yoroi hitatare were reserved for the higher class (including daimyo [warlords]), and made of better material, so if anything Sesshomaru would wear that and omit the cinch bit. *scrugs hands through hair*

Yeah, Takahashi had all rights to just say 'screw it' and draw what looked good, so she probably did, LOL. As aggravating as that is. And yes, a very nifty website!

Thanks for posting again! I love seeing new words and researching them, so this was really fun to read over!

~AD

Skyisthelimit wrote:
Behind the Scenes of Inuyasha (A look into Rumiko-sensei's coughunusualcough process):

Part 123125 - the Making of Lord Fl--I mean, Sesshomaru

"Alright, time to design Lord Fluffy now. Cept I can't actually CALL him Lord Fluffy in the manga because then he'd pop out of the pages and kill me with his blinding perfections...kill....perfections....Killing Perfection! Alrighty, his name is gonna be Sesshomaru!

He's gotta have silver hair like Inuyasha, but prettier. He's gonna be my pretty but macho youkai. Now he's gotta have some kind of markings....but what? **is distracted by a Sailor Moon rerun** Oooh let's give him a crescent moon on his forehead, just because! And I'll give him magenta strips on his cheeks, to make his face look more angular...he'd insist they're 'royal purple' or something but they're definitely magenta...

Now what should I have him wear. Let's see, it's gotta be kimono-like, obviously. Having the collar cut straight across would look dorky on him, like he's wearing an apron *Mentally pictures her pretty but macho youkai in a kitchent**....yeah. No. Ok, so overlapping collar, got it.

**laundry machine beeps** **Checks dryer** Oohhhh my whites are still yellow!! Grrr! I'm gonna make Lord Fluffy wear white just so that SOME white clothes in the world stay white.

And lets see he's gotta have billowy sleeves because they're cool looking...and obviously he's gotta wear pants to fight...Hmmm but now he's looking a bit too....poofy. Let's give him some armor. It'll cinch his waist! Hm? What was that Lord Fluffy? Oh fineee I'll give you some spikes to suit your macho-ness. Happy?

Now...something's still missing...A ribbon! I love ribbons. Wait, I guess the only way he'd wear anything ribbon-like is if it was a sash...more waist cinch-age! Ohhh and I'm gonna make it drape prettily on his hips too...and a bow...it's gotta have a bow of course...But what color? Hmmm **looks at yellow and blue walls** I got it! Yellow and blue!

Still missing something...Oh a pattern, I guess, since he's Lord Fluffykins he can't have just a solid color wardrobe... **tea boils** **absentmindedly puts some honey in**...Honey? Honey combs? Hey that works! And since he's my pretty but macho youkai I'll put in some flowers in the middle...and make it red. That's a macho color right?

Just one more thing...He's Lord Fluffy so he's gotta have something fluffy....a BOA! Yes! It'll make him all noble like! **draws boa** ...Ooops I drew it a bit too big...But it looks so soft and fluffy...it looks good...Meh I'll just keep it. Oh wait, but now I need to have it 'add to his character' or something...it'll wrap around him when he becomes my big fluffy dog...I guess he can even use it to fight, because he's the type to actually fight with something so fluffy...OOHH Let's have it make him fly too! But wait...now he has three ways to fly...Meh humans will just have to be jealous I guess.

And there he is! My Lord Fluffy aka Sesshomaru! **Squee** Now, POCKY TIME"

Yeah I don't know what possessed me to do that...please feel free to ignore this post >_>

"Now...something's still missing...A ribbon!"
I about died from laughter... It was just so sudden and... and... PERFECT! I LOVED it! XD As for the remainder, the association doesn't surprise me too much, although I'll admit you're the first (that I've seen) to put it into words, and so nicely, too. ^__^ I enjoyed reading it, got a few laughs out of it, and the next time you tell someone not to read it put the notice at the TOP, LMAO.

I like how your post lightens up the forum though, I'm beginning to think I take too much of a 'factual' nature and really deter people from commenting. So, I loved that you made this, and will always welcome any further humor. Juuuuuuust so long as it has reference to the forum, haha. If not, PM me. ^_^

~AD

Nysrina wrote:

That's true, it IS a close outfit. I had been really excited to see it, but then had to research it and was all: aw, darn it! I love that the basic garb is for court nobility though, even their children, which could add depth to another's story should they wish it. ^_^

The hitatare was actually an intriguing suggestion. If anything, we could call Inu-Yasha's top a hitatare because it is designed to be cinched at the wearer's wrist. The only 'issue' I'd have with that is the design of Inu-Yasha's top in the front where it closes, because it breaks off the cross-fold whereas the classic hitatare has it. Just the opposite of Sesshomaru's issue with the other top, LOL. I've read that both hitatare and 'suo' (can't find a pic for the last) were designed for the shogunate as special samurai garments, so that's interesting. I'd be tempted to call Sesshomaru's top a yoroi hitatare, because it is very fitting, but the whole point of the hitatare is that it closes the gap at the wrist so it's all: GAH! Haha. But yoroi hitatare were reserved for the higher class (including daimyo [warlords]), and made of better material, so if anything Sesshomaru would wear that and omit the cinch bit. *scrugs hands through hair*

Yeah, Takahashi had all rights to just say 'screw it' and draw what looked good, so she probably did, LOL. As aggravating as that is. And yes, a very nifty website!

Thanks for posting again! I love seeing new words and researching them, so this was really fun to read over!

~AD

LOL.. Yeah, the little details can make one go

Inuyasha's top COULD be a suikan, with its collar tied open, but for the garment length. From that nifty website we so love:

When kuge wore suikan, they invariably wore them with the collar tied shut, unlike buke who often wore the collar open in the manner of their more familiar hitatare. The practice of tying the collar “open” became popular in the Kamakura period, and it was called chôken no hitatare. At the end of Muromachi, it was virtually the formal costume of a young buke.
The actual color and fabric were a matter of the taste of the wearer. It might be dyed with a tye-dying process similar to shibori, which was not acceptable for court clothing.

Initially, the following description on hitatare over at Sengoku Daimyo was what lead me to think Sesshoumaru could be wearing one:

During the Heian period it was the daily garment of the common laborer (and had shorter, narrower sleeves). Owing to its open-necked comfort, it was also worn by the kuge as nightwear (over a kosode) and for warmth on colder evenings.
Though they reached the top levels of the aristocracy, the Heike enjoyed wearing hitatare when traveling and at home, and so the popularity of the garment spread among the upper classes in the twelfth century.
The hitatare were made more “impressive” with larger sleeves and became the common daywear of the buke in the Kamakura period; it was also about this time that the wrist cord was added (end of Heian/early Kamakura periods). Unlike suikan and kariginu (where it went through the entire fabric and lining, if any), the wrist cord went through a series of loops sewn to the surface of the fabric, or through the tunnel of the wrist seam itself.
About the time of the Hôjô shikken, this more simple garment became the ceremonial wear of the buke, and under it they wore a kosode as an uchigi. Kikutoji (or monoji) were also applied at about this point, although instead of disc-shaped kikutoji, knots of applied round cord were used.
Given the relative comfort of the hitatare, some kuge even began wearing it at home. This increase in popularity among people of rank lead to more luxuriant fabrics being used. For buke, hitatare went from daily wear in the Kamakura period to formal wear in the Muromachi.


The garment's ascension to the top of social levels made me go "Hey!"

The upsizing of the sleeves made me go "Hmmmm".

Then over at The Costume Museum's website, only a few examples of the garment were shown, with narrow sleeves. And I went "Ummm..? I think I might be wrong..?"

LOL.

I'm pretty sure they're just showing an example from a certain time period. Either way, in order for a garment to change so drastically there are going to be people who add or take away features, so really there's no 'one' set method for it at any time. It's sad, really, because the sleeves are the same for Inu-Yasha, Kikyo and Kagome (miko garb), but the NECKLINE... GAH! *rips ot hair* "Specialty design". I don't care if people want specific, it's "specialty design" in this fantasy world, LOL. Particularly Sango's outfit...

~AD

this is an AWESOME amount of information... and Sky; I giggled my head off.

So... what are we calling Inuyasha's top? Suikan?

Also, I always found it ironic that Sango is incredible modest, but has a feudal era catwoman suit on. I bet its great to fight in, but she can't blame Miroku half the time

(feels bad I'm not contributing any information...) So, here's a funny picture instead

Nysrina wrote:
Aura Depths wrote:

I'm pretty sure they're just showing an example from a certain time period. Either way, in order for a garment to change so drastically there are going to be people who add or take away features, so really there's no 'one' set method for it at any time. It's sad, really, because the sleeves are the same for Inu-Yasha, Kikyo and Kagome (miko garb), but the NECKLINE... GAH! *rips ot hair* "Specialty design". I don't care if people want specific, it's "specialty design" in this fantasy world, LOL. Particularly Sango's outfit...

~AD

Too true! Let's pretend Inuyasha decided that his suikan (if it was one) was too bothersome to wear it out, so he shortened the hem, wore it tucked into his hakama and tied the collar open, like the youngsters of the warrior class. Hahaha..

And don't you know? Sango's dad was a time-traveller too - he got that stretchy-clingy-youkai proof material in bulk from the modern era to outfit the whole slayer village!

LOL, that sounds decent. Could also say that (Inu-Yasha at least) wears a hitatare and since he's an impatient, ignorant irritant he forces it to cross shut and tucks the excess material around his side. This would explain a: the cross, b: the 'fold over' crease on the front, and c: why it bulges out over the chest and sometimes makes him look like he has breasts in the manga (material working out of the tuck). A hitatare CAN cross-fold, but it will automatically try to undo itself thanks to how it's sewn and where the clothing has settling weight. Also, I lean toward the hitatare because a: everything but an easy-to-explain collar fits, b: it was practically required to match the hakama worn with it, and c: the sleeves are a unique design which abide to his outfit (most sleeves in classic clothing do not have the 'big' opening at the end for the hands, it was usually smaller and could fit about three fists through to accommodate tucking arms in, Inu-Yasha's are pretty much double that size).

As for the rest of the comments I have for his clothing, the string tie... back to him being ignorant. Kikyo had no excuse though. There's no meaning behind it, and its source was in traditional clothing used to keep the fabric from shifting out of place enough to begin falling off the shoulders, and that was when it was sewn into the front lapels and then tied off. Also, the slits in the outer layer of Inu-Yasha's 'hitatare' (on the shoulders) was a traditional look which died as fashion evolved, so considering his father's age I say we have more than enough leigh way to make assumptions... ^_^ Plus, tugging the clothing with that cross-fold would make the slits as ridiculously large as they are in the series.

I like the idea of calling it a suikan (it flows nicely off the tongue) but I just can't get around that square collar, LOL. At least with the hitatare we can modify the style of wear in order to make it convincing. It would work the same for the miko garb, even though their hakama are a different color. If Kaede's Village is so small and poor that they make a miko wear split hakama and not the traditional skirt hakama, then I'd say we can shove them into a hitatare as well.

Your thoughts? My brain feels scrambled, haha!

cakeiton wrote:
this is an AWESOME amount of information... and Sky; I giggled my head off.

So... what are we calling Inuyasha's top? Suikan?

Also, I always found it ironic that Sango is incredible modest, but has a feudal era catwoman suit on. I bet its great to fight in, but she can't blame Miroku half the time

(feels bad I'm not contributing any information...) So, here's a funny picture instead

OMG, I love that picture! XD I also liked that it provided me with visual reference for Inu-Yasha, heehee.

I'm leaning toward hitatare, for a variety of reasons. A suikan would sound nice, but it's just not designed properly. It also has just two panels for the front, and exposes the under layer in strips (light blue bits in pic in this comment chain).

Here's what I sent to Nysrina, if you want to browse it more easily:
Could also say that (Inu-Yasha at least) wears a hitatare and since he's an impatient, ignorant irritant he forces it to cross shut and tucks the excess material around his side. This would explain a: the cross, b: the 'fold over' crease on the front, and c: why it bulges out over the chest and sometimes makes him look like he has breasts in the manga (material working out of the tuck). A hitatare CAN cross-fold, but it will automatically try to undo itself thanks to how it's sewn and where the clothing has settling weight. Also, I lean toward the hitatare because a: everything but an easy-to-explain collar fits, b: it was practically required to match the hakama worn with it, and c: the sleeves are a unique design which abide to his outfit (most sleeves in classic clothing do not have the 'big' opening at the end for the hands, it was usually smaller and could fit about three fists through to accommodate tucking arms in, Inu-Yasha's are pretty much double that size). . . . I like the idea of calling it a suikan (it flows nicely off the tongue) but I just can't get around that square collar, LOL. At least with the hitatare we can modify the style of wear in order to make it convincing. It would work the same for the miko garb, even though their hakama are a different color.

Whoa, this thread turned out to be a huge success. I love the wealth of information, needless to say that I'll be trying to remember the names, where what goes, how what goes, on who what goes for a looooong time... Currently my brain is overloaded

And Skyisthelimit, that post about Rumiko T's thought process when creating Flu- Sesshomaru made me piss my pants.... hilarious.

My head is starting to hurt from all the info but that doesn't deter question time

Now, I've seen some village men wear the feudal era equivalent of mini-skirt. Seriously, their 'kimono's' reach to the middle of their thighs (this one old man with Kohaku). But I've never seen a feudal era woman wear anything above the ankles (unless in the case of yokai in human form.... but that's another thing altogether).

So why could they(men) wear somethins so short? Why couldn't women wear something a bit more liberating if it helped them work in the fields? What would a woman wearing such an outfit be thought of? What would a woman wearing men's clothes (like hakama, etc.) be thought of? Were women allowed to even wear such clothes? Were women allowed to carry weapons? (If yes/no what would one carrrying one be though of?) What did travelers (woman travelers specifically, if they were allowed to travel) wear? What about ninja clothes (the narrow sleeves and the pants-leg that went along the leg -not billowy, but rather like our modern pants)?

........

Sorry if that's a lot of questions (I'm aware that most of them are not even about clothes but society and it's thoughts on the wearers. But the opinions of others are important because most people dressed according to society's rule in order not to be shunned). But I did warn you about possible bombardment .

~lily

There was one girl in the Inuyash anime/manga that wore a mini-skirt like kimono, episode 13 (I forget the manga chapter). I believe her name was Nazuna, it involved a spider demon priest and spider heads (I think). But as for how she was treated by others, I have no idea. I loved her outfit.

I would also love to know the answers to Lily Noir's questions, they would definitly help me with a fic I'm planning. :3

Lily Noir wrote:
...
Now, I've seen some village men wear the feudal era equivalent of mini-skirt. Seriously, their 'kimono's' reach to the middle of their thighs (this one old man with Kohaku). But I've never seen a feudal era woman wear anything above the ankles (unless in the case of yokai in human form.... but that's another thing altogether).

So why could they(men) wear somethins so short? Why couldn't women wear something a bit more liberating if it helped them work in the fields? What would a woman wearing such an outfit be thought of? What would a woman wearing men's clothes (like hakama, etc.) be thought of? Were women allowed to even wear such clothes? Were women allowed to carry weapons? (If yes/no what would one carrrying one be though of?) What did travelers (woman travelers specifically, if they were allowed to travel) wear? What about ninja clothes (the narrow sleeves and the pants-leg that went along the leg -not billowy, but rather like our modern pants)?
...

I'm not sure what old man you refer to being with Kohaku, but if you could be more specific on the occasion or even episode/manga chapter number I'd be more than happy go get a visual of his clothing so as to properly reply to it. In response to the first question, I ask you, 'why can men go shirtless down a street and women can't? Why did women always have to wear dresses in years past and were frowned upon when they wore trousers?' It's all about society and conforming. In general, kimono were kept full length throughout cultural history unless they were modified for a specific reason common to the individual or if it was simply necessary. For example, someone who's really poor and doesn't have the money to get around it may cut their kimono short for the sake of it looking good if the rest of the length has a huge tear or holes or stains that'll never come out. Usually the cut off material is kept for another purpose, or was cut off originally for that purpose. Also, some men wear short kimono cuts for a certain profession, which may involve dealing with fire, mud, or requires kneeling or that they spread their legs to manage a task (like climb a ladder, or brace themselves on a roof). Normally this modified clothing would be compensated around and the wearer may have the feudal era version of leggings on for decency's sake. By 'leggings' I mean something that covers the individual from the hips to the knees.

In the left pic, the blue part of the outfit is traditionally known as momohiki and was something like a close-fitting trouser. A shorter version of these, something which exposed the knees as opposed to curving past them by a few inches, was called a patchi, and they were most commonly worn when the man was expecting to lift his kimono into shirikarage (tucked). Back to the picture, what's covering the rest of the man's leg (black, knee to ankle) is called an ashi-goshirae. This is basically a tube of fabric slightly tapered at one end and tied into place on the leg by two matching cords called habaki, one below the knee and one around the ankle. In the picture you can see these habaki sticking out slightly in the proper areas. To match the ashi-goshirae, the man's tabi in this are black. Sometimes the ashi-goshirae were worn without the momohiki and with a short-cropped kimono, but this was specifically for labor intensive work (water bearer, running messenger, field laborer).

In terms of manga and anime though, it's not uncommon to modify the clothing (such as making it short) for the sole sake of being unique. It wasn't common in that time period though, and when it happened it was either out of necessity or it was something of an illusion (the men's shirikarage. Women can double or even triple their clothing's ohashori fold, but only with thinner material (not a full blown kimono outfit) like a yukata, otherwise the amount of fabric gathered up will be absurd). While women can do that, it would never happen without good reason (emergency, in which case they would grab up the whole hem of their clothing and run like hell with their calves showing, or it is being demanded of them, perhaps with their life at risk).

On this note, in terms of women showing their legs (to phrase it differently), it wasn't common, and to do so was scandalous and even dangerous for the woman in question. The only time I've seen a short feminine kimono on a human was on a child (think of Rin), which was common and practical considering how messy they are. This would stop around the age of twelve though, or when the girl began puberty. In modern fashion, it isn't uncommon to have mini-skirt style yukata or simple kimono. It also isn't uncommon these days for said kimono to have fancy lace trimmings, or to be tied shut with a simple sash, or to even have the bow at the side of the hip or over the abdomen (the last being the traditional sign of the wearer being a 'lady of the night', so to speak. It basically said "hey boys, easy access right here".) The reason why showing skin was dangerous is because, to put it as simply as possible, women are beautiful indulgences and men are horny pigs. They didn't show women's skin because it may tempt a man. On that note, back then (and still today) you were regarded and got treated according to how you looked. If you're a woman walking the street and willing to show your legs, then why not show (and give) more? It's the message she's sending if she's the only one doing it, right? That's what people will think when they see her dressed with bared legs. It's also a very unappealing idea when you think of a group of men who haven't bathed for over a month coming at you in the dark, or even in broad daylight. As a result of this reception (for their protection and for a man's sanity) women were banned from any field of labor that required limited or altered clothing. An anime exception of this, one of my favorite anime movies, is in Princess Mononoke. The women in this town, to the men's displeasure, have been somewhat liberated by their female leader and are allowed to maintain jobs that actually pay well as opposed to relying solely on their husband for income, and they are allowed to dress for the occasion without risk of being raped (image).

In terms of wearing men's clothes, it was unheard of, and probably grounds for severe punishment for breaking society laws so severely. This is one of the reasons why it grates at me that Rumiko had the miko garb (completely made up) as she did. Even miko wore a full length kimono-like outfit, and the add-on was like a red skirt wrap.

Lethari wrote:
There was one girl in the Inuyash anime/manga that wore a mini-skirt like kimono, episode 13 (I forget the manga chapter). I believe her name was Nazuna, it involved a spider demon priest and spider heads (I think). But as for how she was treated by others, I have no idea. I loved her outfit.

In terms of Nazuna, her outfit is so specially designed by Takahashi that she is not only wearing a modified kimono with the designs in the correct places (hence, it was made to be like that) but also did everything in flip flops... I laughed my butt off when I saw her footwear serving her well in climbing the cliff, but whatever floats the artist's boat I suppose. This is just one of those cases where we see historical context set aside for anime and manga. Her obi doesn't even have a knot anywhere, it's just... never ending, I suppose. It's not a sin though to have creative license with a cartoon or comic book. If this outfit appeared in a film that was supposed to be historically accurate then there would be quite a few critiques going insane at the sight of her. On a side note, she's wearing the proper shape and length of ashi-goshirae, but she's missing a habaki tie around her ankles (only has one under the knees). Then again, as Nazuna's parents are dead and her 'caretaker' is a yokai, it comes as no surprise to me that her outfit is a bit odd. Depending on how long ago her parents and fellow villagers were killed, it could have been the outfit she had as a child and she removed the sleeves just to be able to 'fit' in it.

I hope this has covered the first few questions so far. Okay, women+weapons. A full blown sword, no. Absolutely not. Women could marry into the warrior class though, and it was then expected of them to carry a dagger tucked into their honobi for personal protection. The blade of this dagger would be about the length of a face, so weaponry for women was very limited even for the wife of a samurai. Basically, if you wanted to be accepted by society then you conformed to society's expectations. Women had their own roles in life, and to be competent in protecting themselves did not fall under that role (that was the men's job, to protect women and children in need). If a woman planned to kill someone though, then a short blade is easy to hide and can reach the heart. We mustn't forget how sneaky they can be, either. Poison was a very common tool for women, in the form of powders, liquids, even poisoned objects such as blades and needles. Anyway, I would not be surprised if the most highly armed woman in that time period was a wandering miko (aka: aruki miko) with her bow and arrows. Technically, this was Kagome, but she rarely wore the proper clothing and I was always surprised by the lack of response from others. To continue, the aruki miko was the only woman who was relatively safe while traveling alone, being revered my society and 'protected' by the kami. To not have a shrine though was unusual for miko, and sometimes frowned down upon behind an aruki miko's back. In general, if women traveled alone, it was out of desperation and necessity. The roads were not safe for them, and even today they're not too safe. If you and your boyfriend had the car break down on the freeway three miles out of town, he'd probably ask you to stay in the car with the doors locked while he walked back to get a tow truck or gas. As a general rule of human (or male) nature, women don't travel alone in unguarded areas. It was common for a woman to travel with her family if they moved to another place, or to follow her husband if he was a traveling merchant, but otherwise if a woman traveled she would do well to hire trustworthy guards or perhaps a palanquin (so as to be carried by strong armed men at a walk/jog).

Ah, 'ninja'... That's an interesting subject. If you want to portray one according to modern developments and over-glorified influences, please refer to Naruto, or even to The Last Samurai. After the opening of Japan weapons began to show higher specialization and technology (such as the cross-bow). Before then though, the ninja was nothing more than a highly proficient assassin. The black garb we picture for a ninja was to compliment their stealthy means of assassination in terms of old Japanese theater. After that we began to see it adopted in some clans. Real ninja though, originally, did not dress that way. Usually they just looked like an average citizen, or commonly as a Buddhist Komuso which helped to keep their faced hidden. They did not have very large societies (just clans of about twenty members and not all of them ninja), and they did not have very flashy weapons. If you want to read up on them, Wikipedia is very useful in this case.

In terms of ninja clothing, the all-black and dramatic sort, here's a list of vocabulary for you.
Zukin - This is the cowl, or head-wrap. Originally it was just a log strip of cloth sewn to be able to embrace the top and back of the head when just hanging untied. This cloth was wrapped once around the mouth and upper neck, then again over the mouth and nose, leaving only the eyes and temples showing once it was tied at the nape of the neck.
Samue - A more modern garb, this outfit is similar to that or a karate gi, only the top actually ties shut to the right side of the waist. The sleeves and pants are loose, but closer fitting than hakama or a haori.
Teko - The hand guards, covering the back of the hand to the knuckles and the length of the lower arm. This was normally just a cloth, but could have something underneath to protect from or be able to meet and stop a blade strike. When worn outside of the samue, the teko close the sleeve in, making the lower arm devoid of baggy material.
Jika-tabi - Very tall tabi, black in color. For ninja, these were usually worn over the legs of the samue outfit, then everything was held into place with long wound cords from just below the knee to the ankle, keeping everything constrained.
Kusarikatabira - Basically, chain mail. Because of its weight it was only worn on the torso, and sometimes down part of the upper arm. Always hidden beneath clothing. Sango has a bit of this on her forearms, which would have helped to build her upper body strength if she began wearing it as a child (therefore, making Hiraikotsu more manageable for her).

PHEW!! That took a loooong time to reply to and edit, LOL, but I hope it was well worth it! Anymore questions? ^_^ *goes back to writing fanfic*

~AD

Ooooh okay, I wasn't sure so I figured I'd mention her just in case. Thank you so much Aura!

I'm glad you mentioned her. ^_^ It gave my reply opportunity for more depth, so thank you! I hope this was helpful.

~AD