Green Iris Kosode
By Shinjo Takame
Introduction
The kosode is a garment that was common in feudal Japan. Beginning as an undergarment for the ruling class in the Heian period (8th to 12th century CE), the kuge, but also worn by the lower classes. By the time of the Sengoku period (16th to 17th century) with the rising influence and dominance of the warrior class, the samurai, the kosode was worn as an under and an outer garment by both men and women.
Far more comfortable than the elaborate court garments formerly worn by the kuge, the kosode could be quite elaborately decorated. This continued into the 17th century and eventually evolved into the modern kimono.
The green iris kosode is the third kosode that I have constructed, though it is the most elaborate garment I have so far made. This I made with reference to extant garments and fragments of garments as well as secondary sources on design and construction methods. Some of these methods I was able to use myself, others I had to employ other methods to recreate the effect.
Theme and Design
Japanese garments were designed following traditions that dated back to the Heian period. These traditions gave symbolic meanings to colours and pictorial motifs, which were symbolic in themselves as well as having meanings tied to the four seasons. The seasonal meanings particularly apply to floral and plant motifs which are used prolifically in Japanese clothing and other art. It was using these that I designed my own kosode.
I found an image of an extant garment, a red kosode depicted with folding fan papers. Upon some of the fans are displayed autumn flowers which include pinks, bamboo and maple leaves and on the other fans are repeating patterns, one of which is stylised waves known as seigaiha. This garment, from the colours and the choice of plant motifs has an autumn theme. I chose to use this garment as the basis to design one with a summer theme to wear at 12th Night Coronation in Mordenvale 2020.
I chose light green for the outer layer and golden yellow for the lining. These are both colours I have seen represented in extant garments and period artwork.
In Japan, the folding fan, sensu, is an auspicious motif for the unfolding of the future. There are fourteen fans in all depicted in various attitudes.
Seven of the fans have purple irises painted on them. The iris is a flower associated with summer and is a popular motif that dates back as far as the Heian period, depicted in art and referenced in Japanese classical literature.
The other seven fans have the seigaiha pattern displayed. The association of seigaiha with water also relates to irises, which are planted near water in Japanese gardens as well as commonly depicted near water in art. Water also has a personal association with me, given that where I live in Rowany is near the ocean and this is also the case in Mordenvale where I would be first wearing the garment.
Creating the Pattern
Traditional kosode are made of rectangular shaped panels that are cut proportionally based on the width of a Japanese bolt of cloth.
There are two long body panels (migoro), draped over the shoulders, two panels half the width of the body panels that attach to form the overlap (okumi) two sleeves (sode) with small openings for the hands which gives the kosode its name, ‘small sleeve’, and a collar, eri.
Given the width of Japanese bolts of fabric is much narrower than western bolts, narrowing to 45cm in the late 16th century, adaptation is necessary to construct a pattern. I chose to follow the method of Saionji no Hana of West Kingdom to construct my pattern from my own measurements. This means it fits my larger, modern western frame proportionally to how it would have been worn in period.
Fabric and Construction
The fabric I chose to make this garment is cotton homespun, this was available in the colours that I needed. I chose this not just because it is light and cool for a summer garment, but for costs just in case I made mistakes and needed to purchase more. While cotton fabric was available in Japan prior to 1600, a garment such as this would have been constructed from silk. Also, the methods that the kosode would have been decorated in period is quite different to the method I eventually used.
The techniques for decorating kosode in this method are known as tsujigahana, “flowers at the crossroads”. This involves decoration with embroidery, painting designs, using metallic leaf or powder and resist dye methods.
To create the fan shapes, a resist dye method is used by applying rice paste to the necessary areas before dying, this is called yuzen. Designs are then painted on freehand or using stencils or print blocks.
I chose to replicate the effect of the fans using applique. I used printed patchwork cotton for the seigaiha fans but painted the irises on the white fans myself using fabric paint. The fans were attached using vliesofix and then stitched in place. The edges were then zigzagged and then braid was hand stitched to hide the edge.
The fans were actually put in place while the garment was still in pieces to give ease of access. I then assembled the garment itself, mostly with machine stitching. It was necessary to finish the garment by hand, as some of the stitches that attached to the lining could only go part of the way through.
Reflection on the Process
Overall, I am pleased with the garment, both with my own construction of it and the result. This was the first time I did some of the techniques, such as lining the garment, the applique and fabric painting. I am thinking of making more garments this way, for other seasons and using different motifs.
There are some aspects that I need to improve upon. One is the consistency of my pattern pieces and seam allowance, though I used the same pattern for both the outer and inner layers of the kosode, many of the seams do not match up exactly, including the centre-back seam.
Another is the methods I used to do the applique. The edges of the fans are rather frayed and I was unable to use the braid to cover up as much as I liked. In hindsight, I should have overlocked the edges of the fans to create a nice clean edge.
I will probably continue using cotton to make my kosode for the time being, furthering my skills and gaining confidence until I feel I am ready to work with silk, and I have some already waiting.
Resources
Sadao Hibi and Motoji Niwa, Snow, Wave, Pine: Traditional Patterns in Japanese Design, 2001, Kodansha International Limited.
Saionji no Hana, Kosode Made Simple, http://www.wodefordhall.com/page4.html
Shigeki Kawakami, Clad in beautiful colours and myriad motifs’, Four Centuries of Fashion: Classical Kimono from the Kyoto National Museum, Morrison, Michael and Price, Lorna; 1997, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco, pp. 21-35.
Toshiko Ito, Tsujigahana: The Flower of Japanese Textile Art, 1981, Harper and Row, New York.
Tsukimi, Rosemary, Japanese Women’s Clothing: Kamakura to Momoyama Period, ND, obtained online from author, available on request.
How to Create Tsujigahana, ND, obtained online from author, available on request.
Woodson, Yoko, Classical kimono in historical review, Four Centuries of Fashion: Classical Kimono from the Kyoto National Museum, Morrison, Michael and Price, Lorna; 1997, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco, pp. 9-20.