Junihitoe Kimono - The Dressing Process
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ส.ค. 2024
- The Junihitoe is a 12-Layered ceremonial kimono from the Heian era! It is very heavy, and SUPER expensive. One Japanese person told me that each layer can cost up to about $10K, so, 12 layers adds up fast! This type of kimono used to be worn by noble women, high class society and royalty in the Heian era for special occasions. It is rare for them to be used anymore, but occasionally they are still worn for special occasions by people of noble blood or the ruling class.
If you'd like to see what it's like to walk in one, check out the video of us exiting the stage after modeling at a culture event!
• Junihitoe Kimonos - Ex...
I am so privileged to be able to wear one once! I feel so honored! The occasion for this honor is that they needed volunteers to model these kimonos for the J-Culture Fest being held in Tokyo. I jumped at the opportunity! Not many Japanese people get to wear these kimonos, much less foreigners like me! I have heard that the experience is so rare that there is a business in Kyoto that charges upwards of about $2,000 just to have the experience of wearing one for a while and getting some professional photos taken with it. I'm thrilled that I didn't have to pay that much. I am not sure that this opportunity will ever come again, so I will treasure this experience!
I read a book about the history of kimono, and the layers of the Junihitoe style were composed like a poem to convey feeling and reflect the seasons. Most only had 5 layers, and the order from inner to outer was very important in conveying a certain message. There were specific combinations with their own names, and the women of the Heian court had to choose their combinations carefully to be in good taste, while also trying to get noticed and admired by the emperor and other courtiers. The book is called "Kimono: Fashioning Culture". It's a very interesting read if you are interested in Japanese culture and/or fashion.
I'm very interested in this book. Where did you get it? Sadly, I can't find it on Amazon for my kindle. Author's name? Please and thank you!
Another impression of the complexity and importance of the layers can be found in the first actual novel ever written, "The Tale of Genji" (still in print after one thousand years!). It's about life in Heian Japan by a woman of the court - the judgement passed on even slightly out-of-tone colors by the upper classes is staggering. The aesthetic expertise in all forms of art - painting, poetry, flower arranging, costume and even such esoteric arts as composing incense were at an all time high in this period.
It's by Liza Dalby, who also wrote "Geisha" which is a great book if you are interested in the history of geisha and anecdotes about her experiences as a geisha. You can find the books cheap on Abebooks.com
this is going to sound weird, but what you said just totally made me have a flashback of Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego -where they explore the time of The Tale of Genji and look at different season kimonos. It is a very nostalgic game, that I was glad that could be a teaching tool for kids. Now that i am older, i have such an appreciation for different cultures like this. Absolutely beautiful
Annalisa Steinnes wow i would like to try if i got a chance
Im surprised kimonos aren't bullet proof with the amount of thick layers they have
My host mother's daughter worked for a kimono house and I actually got to model one. Definitely an experience. Hardest part was untying all the knots! I'm glad I got wear one! In exchange I got a child kimono for my niece. She loved it!
i have a aunt thats Japanese and one time i went was over at her house i got to try on one of her wedding kimonos (sadly not the white one) but it was a red one with golden flowers on it and maaaan was it hevvvvy i can only imagine how hevvy it was for you with all thos layers but it look amazing on you
moriko sorayume heavy*
It wouldn't be white in Japan anyway. White isn't a Japanese wedding colour. Red is lucky!
K Hun It's white in traditional shinto weddings
Actually, the junihitoe layers are quite thin. Nothing like a heavy wedding kimono if not they would look like sumo. ^^'
no wonder female noble at Heian era cannot and will not go out by themselves while wearing this particular dress. who would like to drag this heavy dress everywhere. lol. it was really awesome to be able to wear it. i am most jealous. XD XD XD.
the details are amazing. the color are amazing. everything feels so amazing.
Actually some women preferred fewer layers or just a simple but elegant kimono for outside activities.
It has nothing to do with wearing a junihitoe.
So beautiful. I could feel the legacy and honorable tradition with each fold and knot. Masters of detail and respect. Grazie for sharing!
I wore a kimono (furisode) for my coming of age ceremony, it wasnt expensive as the other ones, but I loved it! Dressing in it made me feel connected to my heritage and also very beautiful, but it was so heavy and tight 😩 the ceremony itself wasnt that great but the dressing process I loved it!
Rafaella Yuri I'm sorry if I seem rude or anything but can I ask what is a coming of age ceremony? I'm curious.
Gray you're not being rude at all!
A coming of age ceremony is when people who are turning 20 (which is the legal age in japan) for example I was born in 1997, but since I was born on march, I went to class with the 1996 guys. So I was actually 19 in my ceremony. (Which is in January) but anyway, those who were born 1996/1/1~1997/31/3 could attend this years ceremony. Is held by the city hall every year, probably 90% of the girls wear kimonos while the guys wear suits. Mine I managed to pay 160 dollars, plus 170 for hair and my dad took my picture. But some can go up to 2000~5000 dollars. Anyway, I hope I could explain it to you properly hahaha
Rafaella Yuri that's amazing! I wish someday I get the honor of wearing a kimono like that. Unfortunately probably the only thing I'd get close to that, is cosplay.
So beautifully done. I so badly wish to travel to Japan again. The culture is so rich and beautiful. I wish that my home country had a culture so great as the Japanese culture.
Japan does have a rich and beautiful culture, but like any culture, it also has a lot of problems. Definitely appreciate the wonder and beauty of other cultures, but never take for granted the wonderful blessings in your own culture as well. The treasures far away should never diminish the treasures at home. :)
You must feel like a living work of art when you wear this.
Only in Japan!
Wow so pretty! I´m so jelly! The layer game is strong, omg.
The Kimono is absolutely gorgeous! The ladies who dressed her have all my admiration!
I sometimes like to draw these so this video was extremely interesting and useful for me. Thank you for sharing! All the kasane look amazing.
This is truely exquisite. I had no idea a kimono was so complex! Thank you for posting this
Wow what a treat, how beautiful
Thank you! It was definitely a treat! Very humbling opportunity. :)
This was fascinating! Such lovely dresses, I would have loved to wear this type of clothing🌸
"overdressed" suddenly has a whole new meaning ;)
きれいです。似合っていますね。
楽しんで良かったです。
十二単は憧れなので、私も着たかった～。
I saw this in my recommended, but when I got back to it, it was gone! So I watched a bunch of other kimono videos, in the hopes that TH-cam would find this for me again. I'm so glad it worked, that outfit is impressive! You're so lucky to have had that experience. I'm rather tall and overweight, so even though I have loved kimono fashion for practically forever, I'll probably never get to wear one.
harvestkitty, don't sell yourself short on opportunities! Kimono are always much longer and larger than the wearer, so it can fit virtually anyone and look amazing! If you do have the opportunity, don't hesitate to try it on!
Such a lovely and rare garment you get to wear! And thank goodness some of these garments were only used during certain seasons. The Japanese were pretty sensible about the clothing they used during different seasons, and they love the changes of the seasons so much, you can see it in so many other things too beyond clothing.
I can just imagine how much that must weigh. It's probably something akin to putting on chain mail for the first time. But my goodness are they beautiful! I also love how adjustable Japanese kimonos were because they were meant to be handed down from generation to generation. They always made them with excess length or width because they could always be adjusted for height and actual proportions.
finally! i know what its called, Junihitoe! im very fascinated by this style from reading mangas and watching Princess Kaguya. its so lovely but yeah... too many layers lol no wonder the noble never really do anything much by themselves haha
She looks so pretty! I hope to visit a similar shop when I finally vistit Japan. I wanna go to a Maiko Henshin Studio and be dressed up as a pretty Maiko. ♡
Kawaii Yuki-chan, I did that, too! You really should! Only I didn't do the Maiko package, I had photos with the Oiran package. It's an experience and photos I will always treasure! I used Kokoro Studio in Kyoto for those photos.
Spark True Living Soooo cooool! My favorite thing about Japan are Maiko and Geiko. They're so pretty, and cute, and just amazing!
十二単だああああ！！！
Very nice for you.
Beautiful.
How magnificent! Would the woman wearing it have been expected to move at all, or merely sit and observe?
Ysobelle, it was mostly for special occasions, so the nobles wearing it would likely be sitting or staying in a general location most of the time. Walking was a slow and cautious endeavor, as I found out. Stairs are especially daunting.
I have another video that might interest you. It was not public until I realized how much interest this video seems to be generating, so I made it public recently.
If you'd like to see what it's like to walk in one, check out the video of us exiting the stage after modeling at a culture event!
th-cam.com/video/zEzvw8zN6rg/w-d-xo.html
When a Japanese Princess moves, she goes on her knees
That looks daunting. So many layers of fabrics.
Just beautiful. Stunning. What an incredible experience.
I'm glad I finally got to see the multilayer outfit I'd read about. All the expense and pressure to purchase the pieces, then hoping you had the "right" ensemble to wear for all the critical eyes at court. Where every knot, fold, layer and quality of fabric would be examined, trying to find an error!
May I tip my hat to the humility you showed in your description? It is always refreshing to find such quality in people as it seems to get more rare every day.
It's cool to see how they dress like that
This is one thing that I would love to do one day wear a kimono
I used to teach English in Japan and the students encouraged me to try on a kimono, I always refused saying Westerners look weird in it, but you showed me that a Westerner can look very nice in a kimono.
I used to think so too
Beautiful, absolutely beautiful.
Gorgeous! Such a wonderful opportunity for you, and it was so perfect on you, too
Wow so beautiful! Thankyou for the demonstration. ☺
Wow! Very intricate and beautiful!
Fascinating! Thank you for sharing this.
10:40 en los anime cuando sacan algo de entre las mangas del kimono, donde esta eso guardado? en una bolsita. misterio resuelto.
hermoso... sin palabras!!! muy lindoooooo!!
So lovely I am planning on making as few cosplays that are in the this area and man I just thought how am I going to walk at the con in this? The first one has 12 layers of kimono I might have to take it down to six so I can move.❤️😍 thanks for the inspiration. Have a great day.
Dedeshika Alabi-Mensah I would suggest keeping the 12 layers but using light fabrics maybe even sheer layers. These are heavy because of all the embroidery but if you stick to light silks, etc underneath and have a nice brocade on top should be ok good luck
Or you could cheat it and just have one or two under layers sewn to look like many more.
D Ibarra Thanks so much I will definitely use this method I really wanted to keep all the layers.😍
Angelofthursday 99 thanks for that idea too maybe for another cosplay I could use that idea. But this one I am planning it would not look right if it was not built in the correct way sadly.😅
I knew they sometimes had 5-7 layers depending on the time of year and status but something I always wondered was how was going to the toilet handled and what did they do about rain and mud for the dragging silk?
Skymouth, Junihitoe were used primarily for special occasions by nobility. They probably weren't outside walking around a lot. Movement was limited, and mostly indoors, in imperial courts. I assume such nobility would probably have attendants to help them with ladies' necessities.
I know it's an old comment but I'll put my two cents in. I think noblewomen of the era stayed indoors most of the time. They rarely left their homes, not even into a yard. They mostly always walked on a floor. They were literally so bored that they started writing to entertain themselves. And so, the women DOMINATED literature of the time.
very cool-i love all of the different fabrics!, i feel dumb though, my un-cultured American brain went straight to 'omg 100 layers challenge!' 😣 (please forgive my ignorance! )
The maximum number of layers is 16 and no one has broken the record
This looks like so much fun
much congrats for the people actually assembling the outfit! it looks to take a lot of skill just to put together in the proper order!
This reminds me of the "how many layers of clothing can you wear?" Challenge.
you look amazing in those kimonos. It must be really heavy and hot with those layers on.
wow...so many layers...
Very interesting and beautiful.
And this is why I have so much respect for the PATIENCE of Japanese! I would say peace I'm out if I stuck in that kimono @@
I would've love to have the privilege to volunteer as a model too but unfortunately I live in the U.S. lol too far. Though it's very heavy, I couldn't have agree more to have the honor to experience what you have had experience. ^_^
I wish the model was a Japanese woman with long flowing hair like a princess. this model is pretty but a Japanese one would look more authentic
There were plenty of other Japanese women modeling these kimonos that day. Thank you for saying I'm pretty, but I am sorry you're disappointed that I am not Japanese. However, I will say that the experience of wearing traditional Japanese clothing is wonderful and an honor. Despite the risk of some not appreciating a foreigner in the kimono, the Japanese love sharing their culture. Wearing it with them brought everyone a lot of joy. If you ever have the chance to immerse yourself in the clothing and customs of another culture that is not stereotypically meant for you, I do encourage it. The locals love helping foreigners experience their history and traditions.
this reminds me of graduation
Wowowow!!! That's amazing !! What was it like modeling in the kimono? Were you standing in one place? Did anyone take pictures or speak Japanese to you?
Yes, in answer to all of your questions. I walked a little bit to and from stage, and even had to navigate a few stairs very carefully. It was a lot of fun and a wonderful experience! Check out the other video I linked in the description! It shows us exiting the stage after modeling. :)
I need one of these someday. The fabric would be cotton mostly,but it would be about.....20 to 120 yards?
I noticed that the layers were pre-fitted together prior to putting them on the model. Would they have done that in the Heian court or were these ladies just trying to save time?
Someone should try running in one of these.
이게 그 쥬니히토에인가.
What if you have to pee? Or worse, poop?
Best to plan ahead. It was important to go before getting dressed! I'm sure the nobility who wore them had attendants to help them with that issue as needed.
Thank you for your answer! I really love the dress, but that was a worry of mine.
You know you're a true weeaboo when this pops up in your recommended and you decide to watch it just in case you're reincarnated in the ancient era
I would have tripped and broken my neck going down the stairs in that. lol! btw, how do you go to the loo in that?
She is lovely but I expected a Japanese lady to rock the dress.
oh my god how can they lift it
Ok, so when you need the ladies' room...? Uh-oh
what is the coming of age ceremony is it like a birthday
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coming_of_Age_Day
why did anciant people always wear hundrets of layers?!
How did they go to the bathroom in that? I swear people way back then must have had bladders made of steel.
Why is there no sound now?
Sorry for the delayed response. Several people complained about some background noise that I did not notice as a problem when the video was shot. In order to eliminate any irritating background noise, I took away the sound. There is no sound in the video that is really relevant or important for what is going on, mostly side chatter.
Very beautiful and cute(*˘︶˘*).｡.:*♡ How did you feel Japanese traditional costume?
Very heavy? 🧐
Yes^^; It's over 15kg^^;
OMG.....too many layers...wondering what will you do if you have stomach ache and you need to go to the toilet...or how about ..when your back itch???
I get mulan vibes from this
I am assuming that these 10k$ antique kimonos are 101% pure silk...how did the Japanses of Heian era wash their silk junihitoe without a dry cleaners?
You are correct, all silk. You asked a great question, and I'm sure there are a lot of academic research papers on the subject, but to get you started, here is a Wikipedia page that has a lot of information about kimonos, including the Junihitoe, and it includes information about care and washing, including care from long past.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimono
was it heavy and hot in the Kimono?
hannah morgan, Yes, but totally worth it, and not really uncomfortable. It felt good.
I'd take one step in that and fall right over amd flat onto my face
着物だけど、まさか十二単とはなぁ。
これは女性の着物だけど、総重量8kg以上あるぞ。
were did u go to get that done it looks cool I would like to do it
It was an event in Tokyo in January. I heard they were looking for models for the kimono and I volunteered. I don't know if or when they will do it again, but the even was called J-Culture.
am i the only one wondering how they got a baby or going to a toilet back in that age wearing these???? ;)
ok its heavy, ok its tight, but its not also like CRAZY HOT inside?
YAU Nadia, It was warm, but I don't remember being uncomfortably hot. Also, this particular one was the "winter" version. So, warm probably was a good thing. It was January at the time, too, so not so bad.
ok I thought that even in winter, under 12 layers of clothes can be extremely hot. I guess for people who sweat easily this kind of kimono is not fitting..... Imagin a noble girl like this at this time, it would be so inconvenient
30 pounds of fabric later...
Kimono was introduced to Japan by Korean monk as funeral clothing in plain tan material color which Japenise copied it to make it into their own clothing with coloring because they had none. Japenise history only go back 2000 years compare to 5000 years for Korea.
l not thing how go poop or pie urin
重たいやろ？！
はい、重い、よ!
i am distracted by the damn breathing!!! ahhhhhhhh beautiful, but ugh
I wish I could wear such a pretty kimono!
I realize, it's much like Victorian era dresses, because it takes so long to put one on!