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==The Kimono==
==The Kimono==
As may be expected, the basic clothing item in a samurai's 'everyday' wardrobe was the kimono, which for men normally consisted of an outer and inner layer. Heavier kimonos were worn in the winter, while lighter examples (those made of finer silk, for instance) were worn in the summer. In fact, there was a ceremonial day where winter kimonos were exchanged for their summer counterparts, traditionally on the 1st day of the Fourth Month (by our reckoning, in the first week of May). A samurai's kimono would normally be made of [[silk]], a material considered superior to [[cotton]] and [[hemp]] not only for its feel and appearance but for it's relative coolness in the hot Japanese summer. (Incidentally, kimono makers traditionally reckoned on one roll of silk measuring about two feet by 20 yards for one kimono). Naturally, the quality of a kimono a given samurai might wear largely depended on his personal station and income, though, at least prior to the Edo Period, there were no hard and fast rule in this regard. Hojo Soun, for instance, touches on the matter of clothing in his 21 Articles, "Don't think your swords and clothing should be as good as those of other people. Be content as long as they don't look awful. Once you start acquiring what you don't have and become even poorer, you'll become a laughingstock."<ref>Sato, Hiroaki. ''[[Legends of the Samurai]] Overlook pg. 251</ref>
As may be expected, the basic clothing item in a samurai's 'everyday' wardrobe was the kimono, which for men normally consisted of an outer and inner layer. Heavier kimono were worn in the winter, while lighter examples (those made of finer silk, for instance) were worn in the summer. In fact, there was a ceremonial day where winter kimono were exchanged for their summer counterparts, traditionally on the 1st day of the Fourth Month. A samurai's kimono would normally be made of [[silk]], a material considered superior to [[cotton]] and [[hemp]] not only for its feel and appearance but for its relative coolness in the hot Japanese summer. Naturally, the quality of a kimono a given samurai might wear largely depended on his personal station and income, though, at least prior to the [[Edo period]], there were no hard and fast rules in this regard. [[Hojo Soun|Hôjô Sôun]], for instance, touches on the matter of clothing in his ''21 Articles'', writing "Don't think your swords and clothing should be as good as those of other people. Be content as long as they don't look awful. Once you start acquiring what you don't have and become even poorer, you'll become a laughingstock."<ref>Sato, Hiroaki. ''[[Legends of the Samurai]] Overlook pg. 251</ref>
Exceptionally bright colors and outlandish patterns were typically avoided or sneered upon as a show of immodesty or conceit. On the same token, women of samurai families tended to wear kimono layers and colors dependant upon the station and/or power of their husband. Samurai children, however, were dressed rather flamboyantly, and a more subdued appearance was one of the results of the coming-of-age ceremony. Older samurai tended towards shades of gray or brown, in keeping with their dignified age.
Kimono fashion took off in the Edo period, as townspeople and villagers increasingly began to be able to afford nicer clothing, and as pattern books (''[[hinagata|hinagatabon]]''), ''[[ukiyo-e]]'' prints, and fabric and clothing themselves began to circulate more widely. Particular fashion trends appeared, and changed dramatically over the years in their particulars. However, a general trend known as ''[[iki]]'' in [[Edo]], and ''sui'' in [[Kamigata]] ([[Kansai]]) emerged over the course of the period, valuing simpler, more subdued fashions as reflecting a more refined taste. Exceptionally bright colors and outlandish patterns, though popular in the 16th to early 17th centuries as part of an aesthetic known as ''[[basara]]'', came to be avoided and sneered upon as a show of immodesty or conceit. By the same token, women of samurai families tended to wear kimono layers and colors dependent upon the station and/or power of their husband. Samurai children, however, were dressed rather flamboyantly, and a more subdued appearance was one of the results of the coming-of-age ceremony. Older samurai tended towards shades of gray or brown, in keeping with their dignified age.
Kimono developed into what is today considered their "traditional" form over the course of the Edo period, and would have taken rather different forms and styles in earlier periods. It was only in the 16th to 17th centuries that kimono first became longer and more narrowly cut, coming to be made typically from one roll of silk measuring about two feet by 20 yards per garment. In conjunction with this shift, kimono first began to be cinched up at the waist (rather than simply worn at their full length), and the ''obi'' (sash) became more standard; prior to that time, garments were very often worn without any sash. Once the ''obi'' became standard, the mode or style of having decorations only on the lower half of one's kimono also became more common, as patterns or decorations closer to the middle of the garment would be covered by the ''obi''.<ref>''Bingata! Only in Okinawa'', Washington DC: George Washington University Museum and the Textile Museum (2016), 119.</ref>
For rainy days, samurai, like everyone else, wore straw raincoats known as ''kappa'', and availed themselves of folding umbrellas made from oiled paper.
The ''[[hitatare]]'' was a style of dress often worn by elites, in certain contexts, from the 12th century up through the Edo period. Unlike the common kimono, ''hitatare'' was a two-piece costume, though comparably flowing and ample (a snugger version for use under armor was also worn, and was known as ''yoroi hitatare''). This costume is one of the most common to be worn by samurai figures in Japanese movies set prior to the Edo Period (including e.g. ''Kagemusha'', ''Ran'', ''Throne of Blood'', and ''Ten to chi''). Generally worn in official contexts, such as when appearing before the shogun, ''hitatare'' were often adorned with the crest (''[[kamon]]'') of the wearer's family, or that of their lord. Decorative bows or ties were often used to tie ''hitatare'' together in front.
Young, unmarried women often wore ''furisode'', a style of kimono with long, flowing sleeves, and stopped wearing these once they married. Young men (''[[wakashu|wakashû]]'') sometimes wore ''furisode'' as well.<ref name=mostow20>Joshua Mostow, "Wakashu as a Third Gender and Gender Ambiguity through the Edo Period," in Mostow and Asato Ikeda (eds.), ''A Third Gender'', Royal Ontario Museum (2016), 20.</ref>
Young, unmarried women often wore ''furisode'', a style of kimono with long, flowing sleeves, and stopped wearing these once they married. Young men (''[[wakashu|wakashû]]'') sometimes wore ''furisode'' as well.<ref name=mostow20>Joshua Mostow, "Wakashu as a Third Gender and Gender Ambiguity through the Edo Period," in Mostow and Asato Ikeda (eds.), ''A Third Gender'', Royal Ontario Museum (2016), 20.</ref>
