The usual buyer nowadays would not usually associate Japan with handmade craft, along with the diminishing idea of Japan still focusing on the handmade industry, partly because they’ve embraced a more ‘technological’ side and the other reason being they’ve flourished more in their reign today as the world’s leader in technology.
The Japanese are hardworking people – they appreciate nature. But apparently, in the latter part of the 20th century, they’ve embraced the colonial idealism of capitalism and futurism – and they’ve succeeded at it. The turn of the 21st century has embellished the Land of the Rising Sun as threat to some of the world’s most technologically advanced nations like Sweden and Germany.
But in spite of all this, Japanese still respect their roots; in fact, even as robots seem to be nearing mass-production, handmade tempered knives and cutlery, including sword replicas is still a looming industry in Japan. Japanese dresses are also getting more popular these days, with the revivalism of Japanese art and culture, it strikes us to wonder on what makes this great nation’s balancing act between traditional culture and technology so strong. The Japanese kimono may be the culprit.
The Japanese kimono is probably the most popular piece of Asian clothing both uttered and adored by western countries. The kimono is a sophisticated garment worn by Japanese women, men, children and special ones by kabuki (Japanese male stage performers). Japanese festivals like the Lantern Festival invoke the mandatory patronage of kimonos from Japanese natives.
Kimonos come in wide varieties, but use the usual materials – silk, wool, cotton, linen and more recently, synthetic polyester. There’s also the wedding kimono for… you guessed it – wedding events. And even though a lot of Japanese couples embrace the now popular western style weddings, some still adhere to their roots and get married the Shinto way.
True to the fact like Japanese are very technical people, the number of a Kimono’s parts will surprise you: there’s the Doura, Eri, Fuki, Furi, Maemigoro, Miyatsukuchi, Okumi, Sode, Sodeguchi, Sodetsuke, Susomawashi, Tamoto, Tomoeri, Uraeri, Ushiromigoro. Leaving out just one of these basic parts of a kimono will render the dress incomplete.
Other important accessories that make up a ‘full’ kimono set are the Geta (wooden sandals), the Date eri/Kasane Eri (extra kimono collar), the Datejime or Datemaki which acts as the sash that ties the Naga-juban (undergarment) and the outer kimono in place. There are a lot more accessories that can be found here:
http://www.sailormo.net/kimono/k_access.html
(Note that there are different terms for accessories for men and women, respectively)
And the price of a Japanese kimono will surprise first-time buyers. An authentic, Japan-made kimono will cost you at least $10,000. The full set, complete with the undergarments, sandals, accessories, etc, will set you back $10,000 more. We bet you’re asking why the kimono costs that much. For a fact, preparing a hand-dyed kimono is a long tedious process, and the skilled craftsmen in Japan demand more compensation than you think. But recently, cheaply-made kimonos made from synthetic fabrics make a traditional kimono design more affordable, some even costing only $20.
So there you go. If you want a Japanese-inspired wedding, it’s time you started saving up for this lovely, simple, and fascinating dress.
Immobilienmakler Heidelberg Makler HeidelbergSource by Joey Caparas