Japan seen through kimonos and dance
JAKARTA (JP): Changing lifestyles might lead fewer and fewer Japanese women to opt for the kimono, choosing instead easy-to- wear western-style fashions.
Amid the changing lifestyles, the kimono -- the traditional costume for both Japanese men and women for centuries -- still holds a special place in the country's modern culture and community. It is widely worn for ceremonial events, formal occasions and cultural performances.
In Okinawa, a prefecture in the southern part of Japan which is famous for its unique handmade kimonos, the wide-sleeved, ankle-long loose robes commonly worn during the Ryukyu Okinawa kingdom in the 1600s are still produced.
Textile expert Nana Miyagi said there were various styles, patterns, colors and methods of textile production in the area. All of these methods were developed, along with the introduction of various textiles from neighboring countries, including China and Korea, during the Ryukyu Okinawa kingdom and continue today.
She added that clothing styles showed one's status in the Japanese community, necessitating strict control over the quality of the textiles.
"It might take at least one month to complete a single kimono," Miyagi told The Jakarta Post.
She was one of the speakers at a workshop and demonstration of Okinawa's clothing and dance at the Japan Foundation here on Friday.
One of Okinawa's unique garments is a thin bashoo-fu kimono made from banana fiber. It takes at least 40 bashoo plants, which resemble banana trees, to create one of these kimonos.
The bashoo-fu kimono on display at the workshop was made using carefully spun threads. The weft yarns were woven with twisted thread with such great skill that there was absolutely no unevenness.
"Bashoo-fu is said to be the second oldest textile in Okinawa after the one made from jute," said Miyagi, who received her master's degree from the Okinawa Prefecture University of Art.
The bashoo-fu kimono is mostly worn during the summer because it is thin and nearly transparent.
Miyagi said the garment, once worn by people irrespective of age, sex or social status during the hot Okinawa summers, was comfortable to wear and would last a long time.
"But some of the bashoo-fu were produced in bright colors and woven using the hana-ori method for members of royal family and ritual garments," she said. Hana-ori is a horizontal woven pattern.
Bashoo-fu textile was declared a national asset in 1974 by the Japanese government and a traditional handicraft in 1988.
During Friday's seminar, Miyagi also demonstrated the weaving process while explaining the details of the process to participants, who packed the foundation's small exhibition hall.
After the presentation on Okinawa's textiles, dancer Izumi Higa staged a short dance, depicting the attachment of lovers through slow movements.
She said costumes identified each dance and ritual.
For example, clothing made from banana fiber is used in the eisaa folk dance staged by children to entertain their family, while colorful bingata (printed woven clothing) is worn by those performing the nufabushi, a classical women's dance. The bingata kimono uses floral patterns, or birds, clouds and waves.
Higa said more emotional dances were performed by dancers wearing bright colors, such as red, blue and yellow, to accentuate the dancer's emotions and to affect the audience's imagination.
After the presentation, Hagi demonstrated the correct way to wear a kimono, asking several women from the audience onto the stage to try a kimono on.
"No one wears kimono for day-to-day activities anymore, but it is still used in traditional dances," Hagi said.
The workshop will be held in a number of other cities. On Aug. 11 it will be held at the Jadin Textile Museum in Yogyakarta (phone: 0274-415176), and on Aug. 12 at the Indonesia Institute of Arts in Surakarta (phone: 0271-47658). (ste)