Japan in the Golden Era?

[Vladimir Berkov]

I have recently gotten really interested in Japanese history, and have been thinking of integrating Japanese elements into my vintage lifestyle.

Does anybody know a good resource for learning about everyday life in Japan in the inter-war period?

Also, I have been wanting to get a cotton yukata to wear around the house, but am not sure what patterns or colors are most appropriate and traditional. Does anybody know?

 

[Sefton]

One of our members, LaMedicine, is Japanese. Perhaps if you PM'd her she could give some help. Are you refering to the period between WWI and WWII or after WWII? I've been interested in Japan in the time just before WWII. The period 1900 to 1930 is really interesting. Japan was fast becoming a modern westernised nation but the strong traditions of the feudal past remained. Jazz and western dress alongside kimono and traditional music. Good luck in your research and post any interesting pictures or information please.

 

[LaMedicine]

Yes, culturally and artistically, the early 20th century Japan is unique. Politics is another matter, and there was lots of oppression in the 20s, 30s, the pre-WWII days.
The period is known as Taisho Chic, or Taisho-early Showa Chic.
I was in the US visiting some friends this time last year--San Antonio and Dallas TX--and there was at that time, an art museum in San Antonio running a special exhibit on "Taisho Chic". I didn't have the time to check it out, but it did interest me that such an exhibit would be going on there. Too bad you missed out on that, Vladimir, it would have been a good starting point for your research.

I have to go out on an errand right now, but I'll be back to post some more on what I can tell you offhand, and see if I can come up with some good resources that have English on board as well, later today.

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

Thanks LaMedicine, I eagerly await your further input! I agree that the era is extremely interesting. The interplay between the western and the traditional especially. For instance;

I have been searching for mens traditional japanese clothing on Google but the choices that come up are pretty limited. That and most of the clothing seems sized for the American market, Large or Extra-Large.

My physique is likely more akin to the average Japanese man than an American, (5' 9", 38 regular suit) and thus maybe there is a way to order things directly from Japan and have them shipped here?

 

[BellyTank]

Vladimir- I have a cotton 'Kimono' which I wear as a 'dressing gown' style thing- so does Mrs. Tank. Find an 'Oriental' market, or shop, obviously one that has Japanese items and see what suits you.
There used to be quite a nice shop in Covent Garden, London- called 'Neal St. East', where I spent many an hour- but, sadly, it seems to have gone now.

I'm with you- Japanese culture is fascinating- the artistic and clothing styles unique and rich- the embroidery and prints amazing.

Remember eBay- always vintage Kimonos and other beautiful stuff to be had.

B
T

 

[Lincsong]

My physique is likely more akin to the average Japanese man than an American, (5' 9", 38 regular suit) and thus maybe there is a way to order things directly from Japan and have them shipped here?

[/QUOTE]

5'9" is a rather large Japanese man. Maybe average for an American of Japanese Ancestry.

 

[LaMedicine]

Some links.

Hmm, now, let me see....where should I start?
Sorry it took me some time to start posting, I had to check into some facts to make sure I had them right.
There's tons of info online, but virtually all of them are in Japanese, and it takes a lot of time sifiting thru them, so just a couple of links for now.

http://www.culturevulture.net/ArtandArch2/TaishoChic.htm
This one is for the exibit that was at MacNay Museum in San Antonio last year. Apprently it is making a tour, not only in the US, but it's coming here next year, and going to Europe after that. The catalogue listed at the bottom and available form Amazon looks promising.

The following links are all in Japanese, so just to give you some pictures to show you men's kimonos and yukatas.
Here's a couple of links for some men's kimono stores, just to show you what men's kimo looks like.
http://www.kimono-taizen.com/shop/mens_motoji.htm
http://www.menz-kimono.com/

A page on yukatas here. These are yukatas that can be worn casually in town on summer evening. If you click on any given pic, you will get a larger image and be able to see the patterns there.
http://esearch.rakuten.co.jp/rms/sd...&nitem=%C2%D3+%A5%D0%A5%C3%A5%AF+%B2%BC%C2%CC

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

Wow, that site has a huge selection. This picture is a little strange however.

Yukata + panama hat?

 

[LaMedicine]

Kimonos and daily life in the Taisho-early Showa Era

My parents were born in 1921 and 1924, my paternal grandfather died at 81 in 1976, so he was born in 1895. My paternal grandmother died at 90 in 1987, so she was born in 1897. My maternal grandmother, who died at 71 was born in 1904, so they all lived right through the times you are checking out.

What coincides with the Golden Era is known in Japan as Taisho Chic, or, Taisho Roman (Romanticism) and Showa Modernism. This is mostly a cultrual movement, and when the Japaese refer to it, it is reflected most in women's attire.

I know from my family's photographs, and from similar potographs seen from time to time, that by that time, men's daily working attire were mostly western suits, rather than traditional kimonos, while women mostly wore kimonos until after WW II. Formal family photos often show the father in western suits, the mother in kimonos, school age children in uniforms which were western style clothes, and smaller children in kimonos. Which indicates that at home, people changed back to kimonos from western clothes.

The design and fabric pattern of men's kimonos have not changed over the years. Kimonos several decades old, if they are taken care of well, can still be worn today, and no one will know the difference. The basic style of both men and women's kimonos have not changed in a couple of centuries.
The patterns and prints of women's kimonos during this Era is quite distinct, though, and the influence Art Nouveau and Art Deco had is obvious. Of course, Art Nouveau and Art Deco both were influenced by Japanese and Asian culture, so the influence was mutual. Even to this day, the kimono prints of that era is very unique and fresh. Still those fashionable kimonos were not for all, only the affluent would have been able to afford them, so the majority would still have stuck to the more conventional patterns and designs. Western dresses that were worn by women around this era is typical of what was fashionable in the Western world. There are lots of fashion illustrations that show women in kimonos and women in western clothes, flapper style, and I'll try to dig up something later on, but I'll need a couple of days to do this.

To answer your question, Vladimir, yes, men often wore hats with kimonos. They also wore capes over their kimonos in cold weather, and these two were conveniently adapted Western attire into the kimono culture.

 

[LaMedicine]

Kimonos and Yukatas

Kimonos and yukatas as attire in the daily setting are two different things.
Kimonos are regular clothing, as opposed to yukata, which are on par with lounge wear. Yukatas are not supposed to be worn outside the home, but modern day yukatas are designed so that they are acceptable for informal summer wear. Consider them on par with T shirts and jeans. Sleepwear type yukatas are now made only for that purpose, so when you look for a yukata, you have to know which you are looking for, something to sleep in, or something that can be worn casually.

Yukata, translated into English, means "bath robe". It originally was cotton (still is) and worn after bathing, and doubled as sleepwear. These would be either indigo on white or white on indigo designs. You probably will not be able to find original vintage yukatas, as, the normal life span of yukatas was, after the fabric wore out, it was unraveled and sewn into baby's clothing and diapers. People during Taisho Chic would have gone this route.

Kimonos also were often recycled. When the edges and seams frayed, they would be unraveled. to make children's kimonos, bags, cushions, etc. etc. They never went to waste. They are mostly silk, but some are cotton, linen or wool. There is a very strict dress code to kimonos, which exist to this day, although it has loosened up some, recently, And, if I really started talking about all the aspects of kimonos, I am going to talk my head off, so I'd better stop here, at least for now.lol (And it's time I headed off for bed. )

So, to be continued......

 

[LaMedicine]

Kimono/yukata size

I forgot to say, the woman in the illustration you posted is a bride.

Also, kimono/yukata sizes basically are determined by your height, and your stature, unless you are obese, does not make much difference, as it is a wrap-around garment. At your height, with kimonos and yukatas made for Japanese men, your size would be L at the least. (The average height of Japanese men now is around 170 cm--5'7".) Have your back length measured -- from the base of your neck to your ankle-- and the length of kimono/yukata listed closest is what you should get. If the closest size is longer by an inch, it will be too long, so in that case one size below is better.

Sorry, my brain is getting mushy and I am rambling....

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

Do Japanese people today frown on foreigners wearing traditional japanese clothing? (at least just around the house, or at a bath?)

I don't think I could ever a kimono on the street, for instance. Especially not in Texas...

 

[LaMedicine]

No, no one would really mind.
If anyone saw you, you'd probably get compliments.
If you get your hands on something you like, you should enjoy wearing it.
I hope you have fun.

 

[Lincsong]

A kimono in Texas?

Isn't that like a salsa made in New York City?

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

Oddly enough there is a massive asian presence in Texas, although it mainly seems to be centered around the Gulf Coast area. There are areas of Houston where the vast majority of the business signs are written in asian characters.

 

[LaMedicine]

The summer Japanese climate is very humid, and can also get very hot, and kimonos and yukatas are actually very welll adapted to this climate, especially the yukatas, since they actually can be worn directly over naked skin with only the very basic undergarment, though for the casual ones, women wear loose slips eslpecially designed for yukatas, and men some times wear tank tops and a loose type of short underpants made of crepe.

A couple of years ago, in ealy June, I attended the wedding of a friend in Dallas. Both the bride and groom are Americans of Eurpean descent, but since the groom often came for business in Japan, I took along a couple of yukatas (casual ones, not sleepwear) and a kimono, which I wore to a family dinner. the rehearsal dinner, and the wedding.

The rehearsal dinner was actually a picnic day at a farm a member of the groom's family owned, and I wondered how I would fare with a yukata in the already hot sun (it went over 90 that day) so secretly packed a T shirt and shorts just in case. Kimonos and yukatas are basically a rather loose form of ganment compared to western clothes. even with the "obi" the sash tied around the waist line. The collar is not too tightly closed, the sleeves, even if they are long, are loose, and there are openings under the arms that allow for air to move through, and below the hips, the opening are not tied down in any way, so the hems flutter with movement and do not stick to your skin. The whole effect is, it is a lot cooler than it looks, since it protects almost the whole body from the neck on down from direct sunlight. Think of the loose gowns Arabian men wear, and the chadre and burkas that Islamic women wear. fftopic: but chadres and burkas. though to the Western eyes are symbols of female oppression, as graments, they are very effective in the arid desert climate. They are like carrying personal tents with you. Well, so I never had to resort to the T shirt and shorts, I fared very well with a parasol and the yukata.

 

[Baggers]

Oddly enough there is a massive asian presence in Texas, although it mainly seems to be centered around the Gulf Coast area. There are areas of Houston where the vast majority of the business signs are written in asian characters.

I agree, but aren't most Vietnamese and Korean?

Great topic, by the way. Over the last year or so I've been getting more and more intriegued (sp?) by Japanese culture. Keep it up. Vlad, your interest wasn't kindled by watching "Memoirs of a Geisha," was it?

Cheers!

 

[Vladimir Berkov]

I was actually going to go see that movie with someone a while back but somehow never got around to it. I guess I will see it eventually on DVD though.

 

[Baggers]

It's a beautifully done film, although I can't shake the feeling that it was made by westerners for a western audience. In my opinion, if it been made in Japan by an entirely Japanese cast and crew it would have had an entirely different look.

Still, the film's timeline goes from the 1920s to 1940s, so that places it smack dab in the middle of the Taisho Chic era.

Cheers!

 

[Elmonteman]

Ordering from Japan

Hey Comrade,

I have to confess a similar fascination with Japan. Besides their own incredible culture, who on earth would take American workclothes of the 30's and 40's and WWII American military uniforms and make an art form out of reproducing them? Their sense of style and aesthetics is breathtaking for Golden Era-philes. I think when Levis wanted to modernize their factory the Japanese were only too happy to purchase their looms so they could make their replicas in the correct denim. Of course this is a little askew from the direction of your thread.

More to the point: One method of ordering from Japan is Celga.com. For some reason Japanese web sites seem to have a lot of English on them even if they won't send goods out of the country. It isn't too difficult to find very interesting stuff and then order it through Celga. Celga began as a company satisfying the American demand for anime products. Nowdays they will order anything that is legal and smaller than a Volkswagon for you.