着物kimono
Quick definition:Kimono is the traditional Japanese garment, a long robe with wide sleeves wrapped around the body and tied with a sash called an obi, worn today mainly for special occasions.
Meaning
Kimono means thing to wear, and in modern use it refers to the T-shaped robe that is wrapped left over right and secured with a sash called an obi. Kimono come in many styles, colours and fabrics, with different patterns, sleeve lengths and levels of formality for different occasions, ages and seasons.
Most people in Japan now wear Western clothes day to day, but kimono remain common at weddings, tea ceremonies, graduations, coming-of-age ceremonies and festivals. A lighter cotton version, the yukata, is worn in summer, often at fireworks displays and local festivals. Anime and manga show kimono in historical stories and at modern events alike.
Kimono details carry meaning. Seasonal motifs such as plum blossoms, maple leaves or cranes are chosen to suit the time of year, and an unmarried woman's formal kimono may have very long sleeves. Fans who notice these details can read a lot about a character's status and the setting from their clothes.
Origin:Kimono is formed from ki, meaning wear, and mono, meaning thing, so it literally means a thing to wear. In older Japanese, the word was simply the general term for clothing. After Western dress became common in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, kimono came to mean the traditional garment specifically.
Example:At a summer festival in an anime, the heroine arrives wearing a bright yukata with a floral pattern and a bow-shaped obi, while her friends wear darker ones. They walk past food stalls and watch fireworks, and the clothing signals a special, seasonal occasion that the whole group has been looking forward to.
Did you know?Putting on a kimono properly is a skill, and many people visit a dresser or take lessons. A formal outfit can include many layers and accessories, which is why anime scenes in which characters struggle to tie an obi are a familiar source of comedy in school and festival episodes.
