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Like the Japanese kimono, Ryukyuan robes tend to be made from a single straight bolt of cloth, and not from pieces cut out according to a pattern. One of the key differences, however, outside of the colors and patterns on the garment, is that Ryukyuan robes tend not to be tucked up under an ''[[obi]]'' (belt) the way Japanese ones are, and so the robe needs to be the appropriate length for the wearer. Various types of ties or belts are sometimes used, however; sometimes, a ''himo'', or tie, is even tied on the inside of the garment, in a manner particularly distinctive of the Ryukyuan style, and not used for Japanese garments.
Like the Japanese kimono, Ryukyuan robes tend to be made from a single straight bolt of cloth, and not from pieces cut out according to a pattern. One of the key differences, however, outside of the colors and patterns on the garment, is that Ryukyuan robes tend not to be tucked up under an ''[[obi]]'' (belt) the way Japanese ones are, and so the robe needs to be the appropriate length for the wearer. Various types of ties or belts are sometimes used, however; sometimes, a ''himo'', or tie, is even tied on the inside of the garment, in a manner particularly distinctive of the Ryukyuan style, and not used for Japanese garments.
Basic forms of Ryukyuan garments include the unlined, single-layer ''tanashi'' worn in the summer, and the ''watajin'', with lining for the winter, though the climate remains quite mild in Okinawa in the winter. The ''watajin'' had longer sleeves, and the lining often featured ''bingata'' or ''kasuri'' patterns. Such robes were often worn with the collar turned down, revealing the color and pattern of the inner lining.
===Aristocratic Costume===
The colors and types of materials worn by aristocrats indicated their rank. This was seen especially in the colors of the ''[[hachimaki]]'' (court cap or turban) and court robes, and in the material (gold or silver) used to make hairpins. A summary of the significance of colors in the court costume of male officials is included in the description of [[Ryukyuan court ranks]].
The colors of women's garments were also significant, indicating the rank of their husband or family. The queen and royal princesses wore yellow, a color long considered an Imperial color in China, while wives of ''[[anji]]'' or ''[[ueekata]]'' wore ''[[kasuri]]'' (ikat) fabrics in green or pale blue. Pink ''kasuri'' garments indicated wives of those of ''[[peechin]]'' or ''[[satunushi]]'' status, while the wives of the ''[[chikudun]]'', the lowest-ranking nobles, wore blue ''kasuri''. The highest ranking noblewomen wore gold hairpins, while other noblewomen wore silver; commoners wore hairpins made of copper, brass, bronze, wood, or other materials. Deep blue garments were common among the commoner/peasant class, made of various materials, including ''bashôfu'' and cotton, but excluding ramie (''jôfu''), which was off-limits for commoners.
==References==
==References==