The Japanese Kimono and the Chinese Robes: Anthropological and Historical Context - Research Paper Example

Abstract The paper details a well thought out idea for an exhibition, specifically the concept of oriental costume design. The Japanese kimono and the Chinese robes are taken as the artwork selections, and they are critically analyzed in order to highlight their central theme, which connects the Japanese and Chinese textiles. The paper further discuses the kimono and the Chinese robe from an anthropological and historical context. I. Introduction Dress materials and designs are the best indicators of the history of a particular region. It holds absolutely true when we say that by looking at the texture, designs, pattern and also the color of the dress material that was worn, one could easily decipher the culture of the people who wore it and also get to the know their way of life in general. Japanese kimono and Chinese robes have been brought into comparison as they resemble each other to a very great extent. There seems to be a cultural link between that of Japan and China which could be deciphered from their clothing. Japanese kimono and Chinese robes looks similar yet comes with their own uniqueness. II. The Kimono and Chinese Robes- Historical and Anthropological Information a) Japanese Kimono The kimono came into being in the fifth century. A kimono robe is the typical sign of the Asian cultures. The garment has its long history entrenched in the hearts of the Japanese and Chinese culture. Later, the garment was made more contemporary to include kimono robes that are fundamentally all one size for both men and women. While silk kimonos are traditional garments in Japan, Chinese have Cheongsam as their traditional Chinese garment (Garrett, 1998). Both of these garments are very old and carry with it a long lost historical angle to it. Figure 1: Kimono Segments (hanamiweb.com) Kimono, a piece of clothing, is not just a form of dressing among the Japanese but is also a clear-cut manifestation of how the Japanese history has evolved over time. The style of Kimono has been altered from one age to that of another and it has undergone changes throughout its history and has finally attained a form today. Goldstein-Gidoni (1997, p. 35) comments “The word kimono used in contemporary Japanese refers to the modern kimono, which “stems from the decorative festive clothing worn on special occasions” The inception time of the Kimono dates back to the time in Japan history pointed out as a specific period. That specific period is the Jomon period (Said, 1995). Kimono was in the form of a piece of clothing that was loosely draped over the body of the wearer. Those times, people did not pay much of attention to clothing as their major activity was to go for hunt and assembling. It was between the year 300 and 550 AD, Kimono dress patterns went for a change. Now the influence of the Chinese culture over the Japanese can be seen and the Kimono dress became a two-piece cloth. The arrival and the settlement of the Chinese in Japan brought about a huge change in their dressing patterns. Kimono was made in white color that was taken from the silk worm. Figure 2: Chinese White Women’s Robe (finechineseclothing.com) In the period between 550 and 710AD, the kimono style was distinguished into three groups called that of uniform, formal and court (Goldstein-Gidoni, 1999). The kimono was made in newer styles with the sleeves being customized to become longer and wider. The technique became mixed depending on the group for which these materials were made. Mixing of different colors was also brought out in this period only. b) Chinese Robes Chinese robes were quite often compared with that of the kimono because of the unique combination of similarities and dissimilarities that the clothing have with each other. The material of the robe will usually be that of silk that are embroidered. The designs that the Chinese robe had on it is altogether different from that of the Kimonos but they bear a sense of resemblance to each other (Dalby, 1993). The Chinese robes looks just like that of the kimono. When we discuss about the history of Chinese robes, then it can be made out that most of the concept of the robe is derived from that of the kimono dress form of Japan, except for few but significant alterations. Figure 3: Ancient Chinese Robe Sketch (Thinkquest.org) III. Analysis a) Comparing Chinese Robes and Kimono When we compare the Chinese robes with that of the kimono, then we can easily make out that they have a great deal of similarities indeed, and that includes the patterns, designs and forms. Both of these clothing types are that of the ancient 19th century ones. In case of kimono, luxurious materials like that of silk and satin was used whereas in the Chinese robes, initially simple materials were used which were later changed to luxurious materials with time and effort. “In later years, kimono robes were modified and they became longer with wider sleeves. Kimono robes were differentiated into 3 main forms; uniform, formal and court. This depended on the form of kimono robe being made and what it was intended for” (“Kimono Robes”, par. 1). Both of the Chinese robes as well as the kimono was made for the wealthy class which can be determined from the way the dress had been stitched; also the colors and combinations that were used throughout (Lehmann, 2000). The embroidery was done with great care and attention which proves that it must have been done by hand. Same design and motif is spread across the entire dress material of kimono and Chinese robe (Cheang, 2010). b) Kimono of Japan The period during which the kimono gained prominence among other dress forms was during 1800 to 1850 Japan is the place where kimono attained its form and even today the garment is more popularly known as Japan kimono The designing or pattern included oranges and butterflies on the garment which was repeated all throughout the dress Mode and technique used on the robe is the monochrome figured silk with tie-dye which is called “shibori” along with that of embroidery. c) Chinese Robes For Women The period during which the Chinese robes gained prominence among other dress forms is during 1870 to 1911 China is the place where Chinese robes were started to be used The technique involved in that of the Chinese robes is that of the embroidered silk Bats and flowers were the pattern that was used and spread across all throughout the robe d) The Links between Kimono And Chinese Robes The Kimono was initially made hand and later technology was used in order to speed up the production and also be bringing about reduction in prices. “Kimono robes have their origin in Chinese and Japanese ancient culture. Some historians say that kimono robes date back to the 5th Century while some say they date back to the 8th Century. Though the Kimono robes are the traditional Chinese and Japanese dress, it is said that Japan became influenced by the Chinese culture, which saw Japanese women wearing elaborate colorful layers of silk fabric clothing” (“Kimono Robes”, par. 1). The length of the cloth was that of 26cm to that of 11m. Initially, it was hand made by lower class women in their household using their own looms. There were 7 straight pieces involved (Watanabe, 1991). Chinese robes were made by man and heavily borrowed from that of kimono but had its own uniqueness. Chinese robes are constructed like that of a kimono and has a slightly complicated cuts than that of the kimono. The robes contained stitches in them. Both the form of dress kimono and Chinese robe, were the target of the wealthy class because of the well embroidered pattern sewn with metallic threads. Women were the target audience for this particular dress form both in Japan as well as China (Chiu, 2001). It is quite interesting to note that Kimono and Chinese robes are designed to suit the age of the women who are wearing it. Figure 4: Chinese Silk Robe (trocadero.com) There is a deep hidden meaning in the kimono dress form. Everything right from the color, pattern, and design and stitching was done with some purpose in that of the garment. The red color of the kimono indicates the fact that the dress was worn by young women in Japan (Stevens, 1996). Even the sleeves used in the kimono will indicate the status of the women wearing it and the age of the women. Long sleeves were worn by young women in case of special occasion, and the short sleeves were used by women who were older and married. By the kind of material that is worn by the people, the status of the wearer can be easily found. Thus both the dresses serve as a status symbol. Goldstein-Gidoni (1997, p. 354) states “After the war many things entered [Japan] from America . . . Because of this, it became necessary to save something Japanese, and thus kimono has gradually become a national costume” There was contact between Japan and China in the early period. This indicates that there is an influence of Chinese culture in Japan. In the year A.D. 238, the Japanese Queen Himiko gave the emperor of the Chinese Wei dynasty more than two hundred yards of “dotted” cloth that was referred to a type of resist-dyed cloth. Shibori patterned cloth were known to be appropriate for the robes of prominent ladies in China (Tobin, 1992). Back then in Japan, soldiers and servants wore garments with larger and crude shibori designs and the finest shibori designs would be worn by the high status women of the court. Hence, definitely the garment indicated the status of the women. Figure 5: Kimono Explained (theardentthread.wordpress.com) IV. Conclusion The Chinese women robes have their own function and purpose. Chinese robes bore the embroidery of that of the flowers and bats all throughout the robe which indicated long life for the wearer. This also indicates that it was worn by the old generation women of China. Design and symbols on the garment signifies that it was worn in different periods and that it has a moral message in it. The garments therefore exhibit Asian culture to a great extent. Both of the garments, kimono and Chinese robes are worn to indicate the age and status of the women wearing it. The gender factor is indicated by wearing a specific design. The Chinese garments mostly comprises of decorated flowers and similar motifs (Kimono Robes, 2011). We also can say that Japan and China had considerable influence on each other. After analyzing the kimono and the Chinese robe from a historical and anthropological perspective, we can infer that the robes of China and kimono of Japan has its own respective hold and were heavily based on that of the culture of the both the countries. By just looking at the texture of the textiles and analyzing the patterns, we could make out the lifestyle of the women of Japan and China, who shared similar cultural values and tastes. In spite of similar aesthetic uniqueness, it can be inferred that there are certain cultural differences which make both the garments distinctive in their respective ways. Therefore, despite having geographical and cultural differences, the kimono from Japan and the Chinese robe have a central cultural theme, which highlights the aesthetic similarty between the two oriental countries. V. References Books Cheang, S. Chinese robes in western interiors: transitionality and transformation. In A. Myzelev and J. Potvin (eds). Fashion, Interior Design and the Contours of Modern Identity. Ashgate, 2010 Dalby, L.C. Kimono Fashioning Culture. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1993 Garrett, Valery M. Chinese Dragon Robes, Oxford University Press: New York, 1998 Goldstein-Gidoni, Ofra. “Kimono and the Construction of Gendered and Cultural Identities.” Ethnology Fall 1999: 38. Lehmann, U. Tigersprung: Fashion in Modernity. Cambridge: MIT Press, 2000 Said, E. Orientalism: Western Conceptions of the Orient. London: Penguin, 1995 Stevens, R. and Wada, Y.I., eds. The Kimono Inspiration: Art and art-to-wear in America, 1996 Tobin, J. Re-made In Japan: Everyday Life and Consumer Taste in a Changing Society, London: Yale University Press, 1992 Watanabe, T.. High-Victorian Japonism, Bern: Peter Lang, 1991 Online Kimono Robes, 2001, Web. 1st May. 2011. Chiu, Carrie. n.d. Kimonos n.d. Web. 1st May. 2011. . Images "Han Chinese Clothing" n.d. JPEG file. 2 May. 2011 "A Closer Look at Yukata fabrics" n.d. PNG file. 1 May. 2011 "Kimono" n.d. GIF file. 2 May. 2011 "Antique Chinese Qing Dynasty Women’s Robe Qing Dynasty" n.d. JPEG file. 1 May. 2011 "Women's White Satin Japanese Kimono/Robe - Big Floral " n.d. JPEG file. 1 May. 2011 http://www.finechineseclothing.com/eng/product/Bigimg.aspx?ProductID=1676> Read More