Fuyuki Kosode: The Apotheosis of Kimono Haute Couture
Words by Mari Hashimoto
The kimono called kosode*, which became the prototype for the traditional Japanese kimono we all know today, made its appearance in the early 17th century.
*Kosode are garments with small wrist openings. They are made of silk and padded with a thin layer of cotton. They are worn in spring, autumn and winter.
In the Edo period (1603–1868), Japan had a feudal system ruled over by a shogunate based in Edo (modern-day Tokyo). During this time, samurai society was divided into public and private realms. Women ruled over the latter while men held sway over the former. In the public world, it was important for men to wear kimono that matched their social status, with little room available for the display of individual tastes. However, in the private realm, far away from the public gaze, women with economic power, although subject to various restrictions and prohibitions through the centuries, were relatively free to reflect their economic status or values in their kimono through the selection of materials, techniques and designs.
The upper half of this kimono features a passage from Chrysanthemums, a Chinese poem included in Collection of Japanese and Chinese Verses for Singing (J. Wakan Roeishu). Embroidered in couching stitch in gold thread, the Chinese characters read, “After a storm has passed through a garden of flowering purple orchids, only chrysanthemums remain in bloom under the moonlight in the frostbitten palace garden.”
Right: Uchikake with Bamboo Curtains, Ornamental Sachets and Cherry Blossoms on Red Figured Satin; Edo period, 18th century; Length 171.8cm/ Sleeve length 60.6cm; Tokyo National Museum
This gorgeous uchikake outer garment features designs rendered in kanoko-shibori (fawn-spot dyeing) and embroidered gold and silk threads on a lustrous red satin ground. Several techniques have been used to represent the cherry blossoms, though the most lavish motif is the kusudama ornamental sachet on the top right. Kusudama were brocade bags filled with medicinal herbs or fragrant flowers. They were decorated with artificial flowers or iris leaves, for example, with threads of five different colors also attached. They were hung up during the Tango no Sekku (Boys' Festival) to ward off evil and misfortune. The short sleeves suggest this garment was worn on special occasions by the young wife of a prosperous merchant.
The late 17th century saw the production of glamorous kimono that combined various dyeing and embroidery techniques with a wide range of motifs, including flowers and plants, animals, utensils and even written characters. The process behind their production is also interesting. During the Edo period, kimono worn by women from the wealthy samurai and townsfolk classes were usually made to order. This led to the publication of woodblock-printed hinagata-bon, sample books featuring a variety of kimono designs. Women would enjoy browsing through these, much like we flick through fashion magazines today, and would also use them as catalogues when placing orders with kimono shops.
Kosode Hinagata are kimono pattern sample books. They were originally used by kimono shops as samples or order receipts, but during the Edo period they evolved into woodblock-printed books read mainly by female customers, much like today’s fashion magazines. This is the oldest extant example of such a book. It is divided into two volumes, with each volume featuring around 100 patterns.
As today’s trendsetters will understand, Edo-period fashionistas did not want to be seen wearing the same as everyone else. Even if they referenced sample books, they would make their own tweaks when placing an order. This desire for extravagance and individualized forms of expression gave rise to a technique known as kaki-e, with designs painted directly on kimono.
The practice of drawing directly onto garments dates back to ancient times. It remerged at the end of the 17th century as the latest trend in kimono fashion. This technique, also known as sumi-e, involved drawing patterns in black ink on fabric. This was no easy task, even for skilled draftsmen. The technique was used to create highly-accomplished designs of famous places or scenes from The Tale of Genji, for example, with the finished works every bit as good as actual paintings.
This trend reached its apotheosis in a garment widely known as the Fuyuki Kosode, which features a pattern drawn by Ogata Korin, one of the Edo period’s most renowned painters. Korin was born in Kyoto and he later moved to Edo for a time. He stayed at the house of a lumber merchant named Fuyuki, located in Edo’s Fukagawa district, and in 1709 he drew a pattern of autumn flowers on a kimono belonging to the merchant’s wife.
Ogata Korin’s parents ran Karigane-ya, a high-class kimono store whose most prestigious client was Masako, wife of Emperor Go-Mizunoo and daughter of the second Edo shogun Tokugawa Hidetada. As such, Korin was no stranger to kimono, with this familiarity helping him to create this superlative work.
The upper section of this lustrous white silk ground is covered by bellflowers rendered in different shades of indigo, while chrysanthemums and bush clovers bloom in indigo, black and reddish brown across the lower section. The restrained colors help imbue the garment with a cool, elegant air that would have filled its owner with a sense of pride and artistic appreciation, while satisfying her personal taste. However, this kimono has transcended the realms of mere extravagance and luxurious decoration to become a jewel of Edo-period aesthetics that still resonates with us today, making the Fuyuki name renowned through the centuries.
All images are taken from ColBase (https://colbase.nich.go.jp/).
