Japanese Fashion and Social Customs
COMP 2000

ABSTRACT
Every country in the world has it’s own culture, traditional way of dress and customs. Japanese culture is quite intriguing and there is much that is not known of the Japanese people and their culture overall which is the reason for this research. In doing research, the fashion choices of the Japanese culture was really intriguing; from the unique shape and intricate designs of their kimonos, to the more modern and outrageous fashion style of the Japanese youth. The Japanese street fashion is growing and changing even more everyday. Will it continue to evolve in the future?

Japanese Fashion and Social Customs

Japanese culture is rich and diverse and dates back to 10,000 B.C (Hickey, 1998). When thinking about Japanese culture people would first think about sumo wrestling or sushi, but there is more to the people and the culture than is known. Japanese culture revolves around more than sumo wrestling for sure, their cuisine, music, language, traditions, and unique history has left them with a multi-layered culture. Japan revolved plenty around social classes around their feudal era now they no longer have a feudal class system but still revolve around social status as it still plays a very important role amongst much of what is done in public and at home.
Fashion plays a huge part in the Japanese everyday life (Slade, 2009). Their fashion trends are of both traditional and modern influences. Japanese traditional fashions were mainly worn to suit a reason and the season. Traditional Japanese clothing includes many different types, such as; hamonji, furisode, hakama, hanten, happi, junihitoe, iromuji, kimono, obi (sashes), tomesode, and yukatabira.
The building block for all traditional Japanese clothing, regardless of class, begins with the Kimono which in english means thing that one wears (Yamanaka, 1986). By the Edo Period, this had become an outer garment and was made of all types of fabric from plain, solid cotton to heavily embroidered silk (Dreitlein). Prior to and during the Edo Period, fabric use was very class orientated. Silk was by law reserved for the upper classes while hemp, and other plant derived fibers were used by the commoners (Dreitlein). During the 18th century, cotton cultivation became widespread making this a choice fabric (Dreitlein). Decorative motifs included family crests, animals symbolic of Japanese folklore and natural elements like bamboo branches and flowers (Dreitlein).
Age, social status and gender all played a part in the appearance of the Kimono. For example, a married woman would wear a Kimono made out of darker fabric and with shorter sleeves than a young unmarried girl (Wafuku, 2009). Children wore brighter colors than their adult counterparts (Wafuku, 2009). Kimonos are also broken down into other forms that are meant for a particular occasion or event; A Furisode is a long sleeved kimono of pastel colors that are worn by single women, at coming of age ceremonies or for less formal occasions (Yamanaka, 1986). Married women wore what was called the Tomesode it was single colored and was usually longer than a regular Kimono (Yamanaka, 1986). There are two forms of the Tomesode, the Kurotomesode and the Irotomesode. The Kurotomesode are often worn by the mothers of the bride and groom at a wedding and usually has five family crests printed on the sleeves, chest and back of the kimono. The Irotomesode are slightly less formal than a Kurotomesode, and are worn by married women, usually close relatives of the bride and groom at a wedding. An Irotomesode may have three or five family crests on the sleeves (Yamanaka, 1986). A Hamonji is a form of kimono worn for visiting someone and can be worn by married and unmarried women. As for the Iromuji, this is a one colored kimono that is worn for tea parties; it can also be worn around town (Yamanaka, 1986). Of all forms of kimonos the Junihitoe is the most expensive and court ladies or geishas wear it (Yamanaka, 1986).

There were other forms of Japanese traditional dress that weren’t Kimonos but were created from the basic design. The Yukatabira were light and loose-fitting robes and were worn as an alternative to the Kimono by both sexes in a relaxed or casual setting (Yoshika, 1998). The Happi was a short coat, similar in construction and wear to a Kimono that both genders of the working class wore (Yoshika, 1998). Cording, sashes and Obi were used to close these jackets (Yoshika, 1998). In cold weather, a Hanten, which is quilted jacket, would be worn over the Kimono or Happi (Yoshika, 1998). All classes wore coats and hats made of straw in rainy weather (Hickey, 1998).
There were three types of footwear that are traditional as well as prevalent couple years ago, such as the; Waraji, Zori, Geta, and Tabi socks (Yamanaka, 1986). Waraji and Zori were thong sandals made of straw and Geta was thong platforms made of wood (Wafuku, 2009). The Zori is mainly worn with a kimono and the Waraji were and still are worn by Buddhist monks (Wafuku, 2009). Geta were made as platforms to avoid mud during inclement weather. The height of Geta was flexible and some of the platforms were made up to a foot. The Tabi socks were split-toed and made out of silk, cotton or leather and could be worn with any of these shoes (Wafuku, 2009). Zori, Geta or Tabi were not made for wearing indoors and thus easy to remove. During the Edo Period all formal occasions required bare feet (Hickey, 1998).
The traditional outfits are one of the most recognizable things about Japanese culture, but the same goes for their street fashion. Japanese fashion has become somewhat westernized over the years but by the 21st century (Slade, 2009) it was the beginning of what is considered Japanese modern street fashion. Japanese street fashion is largely influenced by Japan’s underground club scene as well as by the events around the Harajuku district (Yoshinaga & Ishikawa, 2007). The outlandish and eccentric dressing is the youth’s way of making statements about their cultural influences and way of life.
One of the most popular Japanese fashion styles is known as Cosplay, which is a part of Japanese subculture concentrated on dressing in a similar way as the characters from manga, anime, video games and fantasy movies (Yuen, 2012). The word cosplay is a contraction of the English words 'costume' and 'play' and explains the meaning of the whole idea of this fashion movement (Yuen, 2012). The cosplay fans consider this way of dressing up as a hobby and often take part in many clothing contests (Yuen, 2012).
The other popular Japanese fashion trend is known as Lolita style. Children’s clothing and adult’s sophisticated costumes from Victorian era inspire this look (Yoshinaga & Ishikawa, 2007). Lolita began in Harajuku, Tokyo in the 1980s where young people would shop and watch rock performances which had a great influence on this style. With this style, even though it is greatly influenced by the Victorian era, skirts are more knee-length than full floor-length gowns and the full corsets aren’t generally worn (Yoshinaga & Ishikawa, 2007). The Lolita style has since developed into multiple sub-genres with the most notable being gothic lolita (known in Japan as gosurori, a contraction of the phrase ‘gothic lolita’), punk Lolita and sweet Lolita. Sweet lolitas wore pastel colors, embroidered cotton prints and lace, and sometimes carry toys such as porcelain dolls or teddy bears to carry off a baby doll look (Yuen, 2012). The gothic lolitas wore black lace, monotone black, grey or white dresses, and crosses or crucifixes and umbrellas in a style more akin to Western Goth (Yoshinaga & Ishikawa, 2007), while the punk lolitas wore a lot of plaid clothing, big bows, chains, pearls and a lot of wristbands.
The Kogal is another very popular fashion movement that can be seen in the streets of the Harajuku district. This look is very common among young Japanese women living in big cities who want to emphasize their income and unique test in fashion, music and social activities (Kawamura, 2012). This look is based on a school uniform but with platform shoes, short pleated skirts, long socks or thigh high stockings and dyed hair (Kawamura, 2012). This form of dress is the best way to show that you are aware of the newest clothing and cultural trends (Lyttle, 2012). The most typical features of this style, besides the way of dress is the 'Californian tan', this tan emulates American tanned women and this is where the name is derived (Kawamura, 2012).
The last very dressy Japanese fashion look is Ganguro, which literally translated means 'black face' (Yuen, 2012). This name explains why the movement involves a deep tan. The basic characteristics of this look are bleached hair, artificial lashes, white lipstick, both black and white eyeliners, platform shoes, and brightly colored clothes (Lyttle, 2012). The root of this trend can be derived from middle 90's to the time of very popular J-pop artiste named Amuro Namie. The Shibuya and Ikebukuro districts of Tokyo are considered the center of ganguro fashion. Since Japanese culture is not about standing out the ganguro girls are often shunned and have trouble finding acceptance in mainstream society (Yuen, 2012).
In conclusion, when talking about fashion in Japan it is impossible not to acknowledge the fact that Japanese people have an incredible sense of style. Fashion plays a huge role in Japanese people’s everyday life because they have a special attitude and standard towards clothing. In Japan, fashion is considered to be a simple way to express yourself and to manifest who you are. Taking a deeper look into Japanese culture can lead us to better decipher that it has a great deal to do with social classes, the youth expressing themselves and growing influences.

References

Dreitlein, S. (n.d.). Traditional japanese clothing. Fashion History, Retrieved from http://www.morbidoutlook.com/fashion/historical/2004_07_edo.html

Hickey, G. (1998). Beauty & desire in edo period japan. New York, New York: Thames & Hudson.

Kawamura, Y. (2012). Fashionising japanese subcultures. Oxford: Berg Publishers. Lyttle, P. (2012). Japanese street style. London: A&C Black Publishers, Ltd. Slade, T. (2009). Japanese fashion: A cultural history. Oxford: Berg Publishers. Wafuku. (2009, March 11). [Web log]. Retrieved from http://wafuku.wordpress.com/2009/03/11/traditional-japanese-footwear/

Yamanaka, N. (1985). The book of kimono. Japan: Kodansha International Ltd.

Yoshika, S. (1998). Traditional japanese work coats; bold designs and colorful images. Tokyo: Shikosha Publishing.

Yoshinaga, M., & Ishikawa, K. (2007). Gothic and lolita. London: Phaidon Press Ltd.

Yuen, C. (2012, October 11). [Web log]. Retrieved from http://www.lacarmina.com/blog