This features the susoyoke I've been sewing for probably over 50 hours, a vintage ro kimono, antique ro obi, and some other items.
The outfit was first worn some years ago, with Eisen-style makeup. Red lipstick and bright green-yellow eyeshadow imitated kyoubeni (or sasabeni), a lip colour so expensive and so unique, it was eventually subjected to sumptuary laws. This is how kyoubeni looks when worn in several layers.
I was thinking of the story of Orochi, a Great Serpent, one of the legends of the original gods. Orochi had eight heads with brilliant red eyes, and some say eight tails as well. The Great Serpent required sacrifices from those of the Earth, of course of their most precious and beloved- the princesses of the land. An earthly deity and his wife had eight daughters originally, but when Susan-o-o came, there was only one left: Kushinada-hime. 'Hime' is 'princess.'
Susan-o-o is the younger brother of the Sun Goddess, Ameterasu. He would save Kushinada-hime in exchange for the promise of marrying her. Of course, the father accepted. Susan-o-o transformed Kushinada into a comb and developed a plan to slay Orochi. When Orochi was tricked into drunkenness and sleep, Susan-o-o cut him to pieces. In a tail, he finds the legendary sword, Kusanagi no Tsurugi, the "Grass-Cutting Sword."
Here, you see the motifs of a dragon and uroko, scales, with the bright red of Orochi's eyes and the tall pampass grass. The comb is antique bekko from Meiji era; the kanzashi is also an antique in the jade colour appropriate for hot weather and serpents. The shoes are black lacquer geta with a fine puckered texture hanao, similar to shibori. They match the obiage and other white elements.
The sellers of these things have been many, and all have been acquired for over a decade. I'm sure there are plenty of kanzashi to find on Etsy, though. I think the seller of the dragon obi was Ichiroya, which is long gone.
Most of the komono are self-made from cotton. The obimakura and ita are modern from Chirimen Bunny.
The juban is the same white synthetic ro juban I use often. I have very few juban. I was thinking maybe I should use a hemp haneri here but I thought it was out of place with a silk komon and obi.
The komon is from later Showa era. It has a few subtle stains but they are dark brown-black on grey-black fabric, so they are easy to hide. I'm fairly certain it feels like a smooth, ultralight silk. Off-white susuki, pampass grass, is an August motif.
Early August is considered the height of Summer; after the first week it will be Autumn. It is still supremely HOT. Whereas the very last week of Summer will be shown in white, moegi (a bright green,) pale pink, and orange, Autumn will be marked by deep blues, black, dark purples, etc. It is the hottest so the point here is to create a feeling of shade and coolness.
August, by the way, is also when the traditional Ghost Month (7th Month) happens. Today, it is held in July. In August, when the veil between living and dead is thin and the fabrics are also thinnest, there was once a trend to wear a juban or middle-garments of a different colour or pattern which would show through the kosode. Sadly, today they are mostly white, off-white, another white, palest yellow that is nearly white, or pale pink. ::siiiiighhhh::
If you wonder why so many ro and ra obi are available in the same 3-5 colours, that is because the palette of what is typically worn and appropriate for Autumn is very small. The ro stage of Autumn is very small and not many people wear kimono regularly enough to bother so... take what you can get, I suppose. Shades of pale tan, khaki, and palest blue are considered most beautiful. Later in the season you might find oranges and deep reds these days if the season turns cool earlier.
This antique dragon obi is super soft but strong silk (although I try not to pull it very tightly or use it in musubi that require a lot of folding or binding.) Original seller had estimated it from late Meiji or early Taisho. The main pattern is segaiha, ocean waves. 青海波 literally means "blue ocean waves," so even though the obi is more beige, it is understood that this is a cooling motif. The dragons are of the ocean. The weave has different threads of the same shade and it shines as you walk. The musubi here is yanagi-musubi and meant to imitate a waterfall. A waterfall from grassy mountains, into the waters of the ocean. "Orochi" may be from words referring to mountain peaks, water spirits or dragons, and gods; indeed, Orochi lives in mountains near Hikawa (Hi River.)
Although a thin marujime would be better, this very old, weathered tea-green obijime I think is a nod to this very ancient story and is a perfect colour. The diagonal orientation is a reference to the style fashionable 100 years ago, when this obi was made. The obiage has waves and swirling water patterns, which you can see a hint of on the left side. The obiage is not my favourite since it is synthetic but it is easy to wash, I suppose.
This fan has been seen before! August-appropriate darker 'wood' with kikyo and susuki patterns.
The shoes are a vintage black lacquered geta with a bubbly, rough weave which gives the impression of shibori. I have a bag which uses a similar fabric. The red in them is meant to be quite close to the red in the obiage.
You can probably understand why this is such a favourite and why it was such a goal to make a susoyoke like this.
Kimono
Wrist to wrist: 47"
Sleeve length: 18"
Body width: 22.5"
Neck to hem: 60.75"
Obi:
Ro obi, not pre-sewn into Nagoya shape
Length x width: 149.25" x 11.75"
No pattern from 14.25" - 43"
Some time in 2016... my first documented attempt of trying a kimono on at home, without supervision.
Clearly, we haven't got to the obi musubi part yet, so it is incomplete.
I remember having a kitsuke class every Wednesday morning before work, and then taking the set home for the weekend for practicing.
The first photo shows the hadajuban, aka cotton undergarment which protects the outer layers of kimono from touching the sweaty bodyparts. We would not want to get the kimono stained and stinky, which is a little ironic considering how stale vintage kimono smell in general. But that's the price we have to pay if we do not want to spend thousands of euros on a brand new one made of genuine silk. And dry-cleaning kimono is an expensive hobby! So we remain with a whiff of the back of a drawer most of the time up close.
Hadajuban consists of two parts: a wrap skirt and a blouse.
On the second picture I'm already wearing the nagajuban, which is a silk (not always, though) middle layer, a second undergarment protecting the kimono from the skin. Its sleeves fit right into the outer layer of the kimono, but the hem is shorter so it won't be visible. The nagajuban has a white eri 'collar' that is stiffened by an erishin, which makes it peek out of the top layer.
I used to wear this black nagajuban a lot under dark kimonos, however I never used one of this style ever since I left London. Nowadays I just wear a white or light pink two-piece hybrid (cotton with silk-like sleeves).
The last photo shows the outer layer komon (low-formality, all-purpose kimono). It is a black base one with red, grey and some white stripes. The garment is fastened with koshihimo and a semi-wide silk belt (datejime).
Since this outfit still lacks the obi, it is not obvious yet how this kimono is really not my size though. I used to be a tad malnourished back then, so it is not particularly the with, but the length, that gives it away. Most of my outfits came from tiny Japanese women a head shorter than me, so we had to do some tricks with the kitsuke. Now long gone are the days when I didn't have curves, so I started buying my own kimono instead :D
I used to dislike this komon and luckily it ended up being gifted to another colleague of mine so I don't have to wear it anymore! I've always been more fond of the pretty ones that we used to put on at formal occasions.
If the Ainu people are indigenous to Japan, then where did the Japanese come from?
Japan is a country steeped in rich history and culture, but have you ever wondered about the origins of its people? The Japanese people are believed to have descended from a mixture of different ethnic groups that migrated to the Japanese archipelago over thousands of years.
The earliest known inhabitants of Japan were the Jomon people, who lived in Japan from around 14,000 BC to 300 BC. They were a fascinating group of hunter-gatherers who created some of the earliest pottery in the world, leaving a unique mark on Japan's ancient history.
Around 300 BC, a new group of people, known as the Yayoi, migrated to Japan from the Korean peninsula. These people brought with them new technologies such as rice farming, iron tools, and bronze and iron weapons. The Yayoi people intermixed with the Jomon people, and their culture gradually spread across Japan, shaping the country's culture and traditions.
The Kofun period, which lasted from the 4th to the 7th century AD, saw the emergence of a new group of people known as the Kofun. They were characterized by their large burial mounds and were believed to be ancestors of the modern-day Japanese people. During this time, Japanese society became more centralized and complex, setting the stage for Japan's future as a major world power.
Over the centuries, Japan was influenced by various cultures, including Chinese, Korean, and Southeast Asian cultures. These influences helped shape the unique traditions and customs that make Japan the vibrant and fascinating country it is today.
While the Ainu people are considered indigenous to Japan, they have historically faced discrimination and forced assimilation by the Japanese government. Today, efforts are being made to preserve and promote Ainu culture and traditions, giving a voice to an important part of Japan's history that was once silenced.
Rabbits! Rabbits everywhere! The fukuro obi is lovely but my favorite piece of this outfit is the komon kimono with sakura (chery blossoms) and tiny hidden rabbits, so very cute!
