Everything Anime Fans Should Know About Japanese Kimono

With popular series like Inuyasha and Demon Slayer taking place in traditional settings, here's all anime fans need to know about kimono.

Kimono is often one of the first things to come to mind when one thinks of Japan, especially for anime fans. It is the country's traditional attire, worn for centuries by everyone regardless of social status or financial income. While the style and materials used to make the kimono would differ, the core concept remained the same. Popular anime series like One Piece's "Wano" arc, Inuyasha and Demon Slayer feature many types of kimono, so here's how to tell them apart.

Kimono 着物 itself means "something to be worn" with ki 着 coming from the verb kiru 着る "to wear" and mono 物 meaning "thing/object." The first recorded instances of people wearing kimono-style clothing comes from the Yamato Period (300-710 CE). Immigration between Japan and China was taking place during this time, and it was common for court officials to wear the traditional Chinese style of clothing. During the Nara Period (710-794), a decree was made that all kimono and clothing were to overlap in a left-over-right fashion to keep up with Chinese fashion standard.

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This decree -- known as the Yoro Clothing Code -- is still followed today, with kimono being worn in a left-over-right manner. Layering right-over-left is exclusive to burial kimono, which is why it is often seen on ghosts. The style of fashion began changing during the Heian Period after envoys stopped going to China. The Imperial Court began developing its own style of clothing based on what was already established, and the kimono would continue to evolve over the following centuries into what we know today.

Kimono can be made from a variety of materials, with silk, Japanese crêpe, and hemp being a few of the most common. The lining of the kimono will usually be made from silk or imitation silk, with modern kimono linings also being made from cotton, wool or linen as well. Silk fabrics are often referred to as gofuku 呉服, with the first kanji referring to the Chinese kingdom of Wu and fuku meaning clothing. Gofuku is also a catchall term for kimono in general in terms of the kimono industry.

The outer layer of the kimono is made from a single bolt of fabric, with the motifs being added before the kimono is constructed. Patterned fabrics are seen as being less formal while plain, dyed fabrics are more formal. For the belt, called an obi, this idea is reversed, with patterned obi being considered more formal and tend to be heavier than dyed obi. The fabric's motifs denote which season the kimono and obi are to be worn. For example, a fabric with a sakura pattern would be worn in the spring, while one with a plum pattern can be worn year-round. Some motifs are also considered more formal than others. Kimono featuring plum, bamboo, and pine plants are more formal than ones featuring nadeshiko flowers.

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Furisode-style kimono are the most formal type to be worn by young, unmarried women and children. The sleeves of this style are longer than other types, ranging from 100-107 cm long. When a young woman gets married, the hem of the sleeves will be shortened to that of a standard kimono (komon). There are three main types of furisode: ofurisode, the most formal and heaviest style worn by brides, traditional dancers, and singers; chu-furisode, which is lighter than the ofurisode and is the most popular style; and kofurisode, a style with shorter sleeves that can be worn with formal pants called hakama and looks more like the style worn in the Meiji Era. Furisode are typically worn to graduations, coming-of-age ceremonies and other formal events.

Tomesode are the formal kimono worn by married women. They are usually adorned with crests on the back of the neck and on each of the sleeves. There are two types: kurotomesode, a black tomesode made exclusively from silk that are worn to occasions like weddings and only have designs printed on the bottom hem rather than throughout the fabric; and irotomesode, which are colorful, seen as less formal than the kurotomesode, and can be worn by unmarried young women.

The men's version is called kuro-montsuki and iro-montsuki respectively and usually don't feature any designs on the bottom hems because they wear hakama, which would cover up the designs. Both men and women's funeral kimono are called mofuku, feature five crests, are completely black (obi and accessories included), and are not worn for any other occasion. Men's mofuku are usually worn with gray-and-black or black-and-white striped hakama.

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Yukata are lighter, informal kimono worn by any gender during summer to local festivals and celebrations. They can also be found at bathhouses, traditional-style hotels, and onsen, or hot springs. They were originally worn as bathrobes, but became the go-to summer style of kimono thanks to its comfort and light-weight material. It is worn with a single-layered obi and a pair of wooden sandals called geta.

Susohiki (also called hikizuri) are kimono with long trains and are worn by geisha and maiko. They are also worn by kabuki actors and traditional dancers. Before the Meiji Era, Japanese women from upper-class or wealthy families would also wear them. The construction of a susohiki is different from other styles of kimono, with the collar being sewn in a way to allow the nape of the neck to be shown and the seams shaped to emphasize the hips.

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Kimono seams are normally straight and hide the shape of the body, but susohiki seams are pulled diagonally. Kurotomesode-style susohiki are worn when attending formal ceremonies. This susohiki will have five crests representing the okiya (lodging house or establishment) the wearer belongs to. The way the obi is worn differs from place to place, but is generally worn in a style called nijuudaiko musubi. Because of the long trains, it's common to see the wearer carrying them in their arms as they walk out in public to not ruin the fabric.

There are many styles of kimono worn for different occasions and ceremonies, including by anime characters. Hot spring resorts and traditional ryokan inns have yukata for guests to wear during their stay. Geisha and maiko walk the streets wearing their elaborate hikizuri, and many women still wear komon as everyday wear, despite Western fashion being more popular and common nowadays.

Molly Kishikawa is an American artist living in Japan. Starting with the original broadcast of Sailor Moon on Toonami, she has been an avid anime fan since. Living in Japan for two years, she has seen first-hand how the country views anime and manga. She also enjoys video games, Dungeons & Dragons, and J-Rock.