Hi! I was wondering if I could ask for a bit of advice for some trouble I'm having. Im going to a convention soon and wanted to wear a kuro tomesode. Im not wearing it as a cosplay of sorts it's just I love the design and motifs and culture it came from. But I'm afraid of wearing it out of context due to me not being married or going to wedding. Should I just stick to a yukata, haori or should I just go for it?
This is a difficult question that could probably be more accurately answered by your local community (considering the local ethics, sentiments etc. around Japanese culture and how people are likely to react).
When making a decision like this, you should consider things like:
1. Will other people likely be in kimono? Will you look like an organized group (such as a kimono display/explanation event), or perhaps will enough kimono be present to not look out of place?
2. Will the other people at the con be able to tell the difference between a regular kimono and a cosplay costume? If not, can you explain it many times?
3. Even at weddings in Japan, kimono are very rare. When I attended a wedding with about 150 guests only 3 people were in kimono, all of them women. It’s an uncommon thing for Japanese people to wear kimono in Japan except yukata at festivals, or a rented furisode for graduation or your own wedding, or very specific traditional-culture events (koto, tea ceremony, workers at certain bars, etc). When a kimono is spotted “in the wild” people tend to react with excitement. :)
4. It’s got to be mentioned-- is there a worry of cultural appropriation? Again, this is best decided by analyzing your own local culture and community to find out if wearing a kimono will be tolerated, celebrated, reviled, rejected, or enthusiastically accepted. I’d also put it out there that kimono in and of themselves are not a religious or holy garment.
5. Although kuro tomesode are formal and intended for married people, many kimono teachers & enthusiasts have told me, “kimono are meant to be worn!” They don’t do any good laying in a box in your closet! Can you provide educational answers to curious passersby and spread good info and the love of the craft of kimono?
In the end, I’d say that a kuro tomesode would be ‘way overdressed’ for a con, and a yukata would be tonally appropriate, but on the other hand, if you are wearing it as a demonstration piece to show people a beautiful example of Japanese textile they’ve probably never come across, that educational opportunity might be too good to pass up. Again, consider carefully the culture around you and other people’s feelings when encountering a flagship example of Japanese culture, and do your best to conduct everything with care.
dededos
kianamaiart
turnnoffyourmind
baratheonpilled
areudirty
romaincrisis
snowghoul
