šŸ‘˜ Kimono in ACNH! šŸ‘˜

This thread focuses on the kimonos available in ACNH and some kimono facts to help people learn about kimono!
Just to note: If something is incorrect, please kindly contact me and let me know!! Iā€™m mixed Japanese-American and all the info in this thread was either knowledge from my relatives from Japan or from my own research. ā˜ŗļøšŸ’–
Kimono is what comes to mind when one thinks of historical Japan. It would be fair to label it as Japanā€™s traditional wear. A kimono is a full-length robe that is most commonly worn for festivals, ceremonies, formal events, and celebrations in recent times.
The word kimono loosely translates to ā€œthing to wearā€ with ā€˜kiā€™ meaning ā€˜wearā€™ and ā€˜monoā€™ meaning thing. Originally kimono were called ā€˜kurumonoā€™ which holds the same meaning, but was shortened to kimono.
Kimono are typically made from a single bolt of fabric, cut into pieces and sewn together in a ā€˜Tā€™ shape. The kimono is worn by folding, tying, and securing it with smaller strips of fabric and eventually an ā€˜obiā€™ belt. When wearing kimono, there are three essential pieces:
The ā€˜nagajubanā€™ which is the underwear, usually a plain white robe worn under the kimono. The white ā€˜nagajubanā€™ collar is visible when wearing kimono! (It is the white layer that can be seen at the edge of the collar.)
The kimono itself, worn over the nagajuban. Kimono can come in a variety of colors, patterns, designs, and can be made from various fabrics. Traditional kimono are often made from silk!
The ā€˜obiā€™ which is the wide belt used to secure the kimono. Obi can be tied in various ways depending on the occasion.
Kimono can also be worn with a haori, a kimono coat. It is worn by both men and women. The only in-game haori Iā€™ve seen is on the hakama with crest outfit.
It is important to note that kimono should always be folded left over right. Kimono are only folded right over left when they are worn by the deceased.
Kimono are often worn in sync with the seasons. Prints, motifs, and colors will often reflect the flora and fauna of Japanā€™s seasons. The kimono, obi, and the kanzashi (hair accessories) will usually include designs that compliment each other.
The elaborate kimono stands are decorated with popular kimono motifs like the wisteria, cherry blossoms, pine trees, peonies, and cranes.
Hakama are a piece worn over the kimono and obi, tied at the waist. Originally, hakama were worn only by men, but eventually evolved to be worn by women and men. There are hakama that do and do not have a division in the legs like trousers.
In modern times, women often wear hakama for graduation ceremonies and men will wear hakama for their coming of age ceremonies, tea ceremonies, and weddings. Hakama is also worn for aikido.
The miko attire in ACNH is the outfit typically worn by shrine maidens at Shinto shrines in Japan. This outfit traditionally consists of a white kimono and red or vermillion hakama. In modern times, miko are often found at temples helping patrons and selling amulets etc.
There are also blue miko attire in ACNH. From what I could find online, it seems the blue hakama are worn by licensed priests of low rank.
The fancy kimono in ACNH is similar to the womenā€™s coming of age ceremony attire because of the fur stole. The coming of age ceremony in Japan is when Japanese youth celebrate adulthood on the second monday in January on their 20th year.
Women will often wear furisode, which are the kimono with longer sleeves that is reserved for young women. For the coming of age ceremony, it has become a more recent trend to wear a white fur or feather stole like the one with the fancy kimono in ACNH.
The junihitoe kimono in ACNH is based on the 12-layer kimono worn by court women in the Heian period. ā€˜Juniā€™ means twelve in Japanese, hence the 12 layers (although it can be worn with more or less layers), and ā€˜hitoeā€™ translates to ā€˜unlined kimonoā€™. This outfit is very heavy!!
The empress doll used for Hinamatsuri, or Girlā€™s Day, often wears a junihitoe.
Modernly, junihitoe are worn by the empress and princess for the enthronement ceremony or royal weddings in Japan.
The morning-glory yukata brings in the seasonal motif mentioned earlier, as morning glories are considered a summer flower. Yukata are very casual kimono, usually made from cotton.
The yukata in-game, look to be the type used for Bon Odori or for festivals, but yukata are also commonly worn while visiting onsens (Hot springs) or ryokans (Traditional Japanese inns).
I also wanted to mention the tabi socks included in-game. Tabi are Japanese split-toe socks that are made for wearing with traditional Japanese footwear like geta or zori.
The kimono sandals in-game are geta. Geta are wooden sandals that have ā€˜teethā€™ or ā€˜stiltsā€™ on the bottoms. Geta are more casual than zori and are often worn with yukata. Sushi chefs also wear geta to elevate themselves from fish scraps on the ground.
There are also a variety of zori available in-game. Zori are more comfortable and are modernly considered more formal than most geta. Zori tend to be slightly raised in the heel and are made from more modern materials. Zori are also easier to customize with designs and colors.
It should also be noted than ā€œkimono cardigansā€ and robes should not be labeled as kimono. They are not kimono and it is disrespectful to call them such. ā€œKimono cardigansā€ can simply be called cardigans or a different name.
Just a reminder to do your research so you can avoid cultural appropriation!! Research and having a knowledge of the topic before using it is important in avoiding being a cultural appropriator!!
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