Traditional Japanese Fabric Patterns

Japanese national costume is a great part of Japanese culture, history and modern life and the studying of it is crucial for understanding Japanese mentality, etiquette, religious beliefs, philosophy and esthetic concepts. Fabric patterns on Japanese traditional clothes reflect all the cultural aspects mentioned above and carry a lot of non-verbal information for surrounding people. Therefore, they are probably the most important part of a costume. The purpose of the study is to identify the characteristic features of the fabric patterns of Japanese kimono, which define the Japanese costume as a Japanese, national attire. Analyzing the unique features of clothing`s ornaments and the changes they underwent throughout history we examine what values and esthetic concepts of the Japanese influenced national costume`s decoration.