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Hello,
and welcome to the September, 2003 edition of The Tatami Room
Newsletter. Here in Japan, the summer continues to linger as we
have reached temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit)
for the past week. The month of August was unusually cool for
Japan, so I guess we are making up for that now. In
these newsletters, we try to bring to you useful information to help
navigate through the complex world of Japanese textiles. This
month is no exception as we take a first stab at a glossary of Japanese
terms used throughout the site to describe wafuku,
(Japanese clothing). The glossary may also be viewed by clicking
on the glossary icon on the front page of the website. We
also have 4 full pages of Haori up on the website. Please take a
look to see if there is something you simply can't live
without! Click
here to see Haori, and other items
up for sale in The Tatami Room. ==============================
Glossary
Asa
--
Hemp,
linen
Atozome
-- Derived from the words Ato,
meaning
"after" and Someru,
meaning "to dye." This word refers to a kimono
that was dyed after the weaving process. Examples of Atozome
kimono include Tegakiyuzen,
Katazome, Edokomon and
Shibori.
Edo
Komon
-- A type of kimono characterized by repeating small patterns on a solid
color background. It is dyed using the Katazome
technique, or template dyeing. Fudangi
-- Any type of kimono which is worn for everyday situations. Shopping,
running errands, etc...Not to be worn to a formal gathering. Derived from
the words Fudan,
"usual, normal" and Gi,
"wear".
Furisode
-- A kimono worn by unmarried women up until the age of 25 or so.
It is characterized by long, flowing sleeves and bright, eye-catching
colors and motifs.
Geta
-- Wooden shoes worn with a yukata.
Han
Eri -- A
collar placed inside the kimono. Haori
--A half-coat designed
to be worn over a kimono. Hirosue
-- Japanese hand-held fan used with a kimono. Homongi
-- A kimono worn when visiting someone's house. Derived from the words Homon,
"to visit" and Gi,
"wear".
One step below Irotomesode
in rank. It is usually characterized by one connected, flowing design
which starts at the collar area and ends at the bottom. Iromofuku
-- Same as Kuromofuku
except that it will not be black, but rather another solid color. It also
will have family crests, but usually only one. Iromuji
-- Any type of kimono dyed in a solid color with no motif. It can have
family crests. Derived from the words Iro,
"color", Mu,
"no, nothing", and Ji,
"pattern". Irotomesode
-- Exactly the same characteristics as the Kurotomesode
except its color is NOT black. Iro
is the
Japanese word for "color". Kamon
-- Family
crest, usually in sets of 5, 3 and 1. Usually found across the
back of the Kimono. Kanzashi
-- Hairpin used when wearing a kimono. Kasen
-- Synthetic, polyester, etc.. Any number of man-made fabrics.
Often referred to as
Araeru Kimono, which
means "washable kimono. " Kiku
-- Chrysanthemum Kimono
-- Derived from the words Ki,
"to wear" and Mono,
"thing". It basically refers to Japanese traditional
clothing. Another word commonly used to refer to Japanese traditional
clothing is Wafuku. Kinu
--
Silk Kiri
no hana --
Paulownia leaves Kuromofuku
--Solid black kimono designed to be worn to a funeral. It will always have 5
family crests. Kurotomesode
-- Most formal of all
kimono meant to be worn only for special celebrations; a wedding
ceremony (not for the bride!), etc...
It derives its
name from the practice of cutting off the sleeves of a Furisode
and of
course the fact that its color is black. Kuro,
"black", Tome,
"cut", and Sode,
"Sleeve." Characteristics
include Kamon
"family crests", usually two in the front and three in the
back across the shoulders and designs which will always wrap around at
the bottom, never above the waist. Meisen
-- A type of fabric used extensively in the past to make Kimono. No longer
used. Michiyuki
-- A coat designed to be worn over a kimono to protect it from rain, etc... It
usually has buttons in the front for closure. Momen
-- Cotton Momiji
-- Japanese maple leaves Obi
-- A waist sash designed to be worn with a kimono. Obiage
-- A piece of material placed between the kimono and the obi used to help
stabilize the obi. Obidome
-- A little decorative item placed on the
obijime
right in the front and middle
of the obi. Obijime
-- A cord wrapped around the waist used to help stabilize the obi. Nagajuban
-- A garment worn underneath a kimono. Sakizome
-- Derived
from the words Saki,
meaning "first, before, ahead" and Someru,
meaning "to dye." This word refers to a kimono whose
threads were dyed before the weaving process. Examples of Sakizome
kimono include Tsumugi,
Momen, and
Asa. Sakura
no hana -- Cherry blossoms Shibori
-- A resist-dyeing technique. The original tie-dye! Take
no hana --
Bamboo leaves Tanmono
-- A roll of fabric used to make one kimono. They are almost always
approx. 13 inches wide and 10 plus yards long. Tsukesage
-- A kimono one step below the Homongi
in rank. It doesn't have one connected motif. Tsumugi
-- The best example of a Sakizome
kimono. Tsuru
-- Crane Uchikake
-- A kimono designed to be worn by a bride in a wedding ceremony. It is
characterized by bright colors and intricate motifs. It is also extremely
heavy. Ume
no hana --
Plum blossoms Yukata
-- A lightweight kimono made of cotton and designed to be worn in the
summer. Zori
-- Slippers worn with a kimono.
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