Bill has always had an interest in the Far East, first China and then Japan and martial arts. He likes to look at the people as well as the arts and culture.
Japanese stick to tradition, food, fishing etc. they don’t see why they should change – this is opposite to the west who change often and many times. Japanese motto – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
In 1602 Japan wouldn’t let anyone into the country to visit or trade, this lasted for 260 years – this is one of the many reasons that the country and traditions have been ‘preserved’.
Japan invented Flip Flops (Zorii) these are the most commonly worn shoe in Japan even today. They are comfy and practical; the Japanese take their shoes off outside the door of the house. The Japanese measure in ‘mats’ – these are traditional straw mats and are specifically used to measure room sizes.
The Japanese specialty is to take something and better it e.g. railways. Is this ethically right? Japanese culture still use ranking, lower class still copy the higher classes.
The Japanese invented a loom about 12-13” and cloth was only available in this size. Due to this all panels of the Kimono are made to this size. Kimonos are made of square on square shapes and traditionally didn’t have pockets. Kimonos are still worn today in Japan for traditional and formal occasions.
A plain kimono would mean that you were of lower class and have little money. Kimonos with a small amount of decoration show that you are middle class and Kimono with lots of detail, embroidery, or gold/silver, which can be worked into the cloth shows that you are in a high-class family.
Japanese stick to tradition, food, fishing etc. they don’t see why they should change – this is opposite to the west who change often and many times. Japanese motto – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
In 1602 Japan wouldn’t let anyone into the country to visit or trade, this lasted for 260 years – this is one of the many reasons that the country and traditions have been ‘preserved’.
Japan invented Flip Flops (Zorii) these are the most commonly worn shoe in Japan even today. They are comfy and practical; the Japanese take their shoes off outside the door of the house. The Japanese measure in ‘mats’ – these are traditional straw mats and are specifically used to measure room sizes.
The Japanese specialty is to take something and better it e.g. railways. Is this ethically right? Japanese culture still use ranking, lower class still copy the higher classes.
The Japanese invented a loom about 12-13” and cloth was only available in this size. Due to this all panels of the Kimono are made to this size. Kimonos are made of square on square shapes and traditionally didn’t have pockets. Kimonos are still worn today in Japan for traditional and formal occasions.
A plain kimono would mean that you were of lower class and have little money. Kimonos with a small amount of decoration show that you are middle class and Kimono with lots of detail, embroidery, or gold/silver, which can be worked into the cloth shows that you are in a high-class family.
The Japanese are extremely good at being sustainable as Kimonos are passed down through families for generations. There are many different types of kimono, one of these is called Houmongi – these are kimono to wear before you are married. It has extra long sleeves – you can only wear sleeves this long before marriage. Once you are married your kimono has shorter sleeves and the sleeve length is used instead of a ring until about 60 years ago.
Each family has an emblem (mon) that is shown on the front of your kimono. It tells people what class you are from. On a women’s kimono the sleeve has a curved edge unlike a man’s that has a square corner. The Japanese like visual signals before speaking to a person.
The Japanese tried to modernise the kimono by using Art Deco inspired prints but they didn’t sell so they went back to the old designs. Kimono cross over the body from left to right this is taken from the buddism religion.
Each family has an emblem (mon) that is shown on the front of your kimono. It tells people what class you are from. On a women’s kimono the sleeve has a curved edge unlike a man’s that has a square corner. The Japanese like visual signals before speaking to a person.
The Japanese tried to modernise the kimono by using Art Deco inspired prints but they didn’t sell so they went back to the old designs. Kimono cross over the body from left to right this is taken from the buddism religion.
Kimono’s are a traditional length that makes them too long for women. The average height of a Japanese woman used to be 4”9 and is now 5”5 so kimonos have had to get longer so that they are still too long! This forces women to walk differently to western women. They cant look ugly when they walk so they have their knees bent so that their heads stay still. They are also not allowed to go backwards.
Another Japanese garment is Hakama these are callots and are popular in men’s dress. Below is a picture of a Japanese martial arts outfit, which Bill is also very passionate about!
Another Japanese garment is Hakama these are callots and are popular in men’s dress. Below is a picture of a Japanese martial arts outfit, which Bill is also very passionate about!