Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Kimono


The kimono is the national costume of Japan that people used to wear in everyday life until in the middle of 19th century (the opening of the Japan to the rest of the world). Originally the word "kimono" literally meant thing to wear (ki wearing and mono thing) but now has come to denote a particular type of traditional full-length garment.
Kimono are T-shaped, straight-lined robes that fall to the ankle, with collars and wide, full-length sleeves. Kimono are wrapped around the body, always with the left side over the right (except when dressing the dead for burial) and secured by a wide belt called an obi, which is usually tied at the back. Kimono are generally worn with traditional footwear (especially zori or geta and split-toe socks (tabi).
Traditionally, unmarried women wore a style of kimono called furisode, which have floor-length sleeves, on special occasions. A few older women and even fewer men still wear kimono on a daily basis. Men wear kimono most often at weddings, tea ceremonies, and other very special or very formal occasions. Professional sumo wrestlers are often seen in kimono because they are required to wear traditional Japanese attire that is referred to as yukata, which is of plain unlined cotton.
Today, kimono are most often worn by women, and on special occasions, but in a major Japanese city you can still see some Japanese women wearing them.

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