The characters in stories always look so charming in their kimonos.
Especially in literary works from the Meiji, Taisho, and early Showa periods, the descriptions are incredibly delicated, and you can feel the attention to detail in every aspect—the Kimonos, Obi, accessories, everything.
Even though the times and backgrounds change, these works are sure to be a great source of inspiration for how to wear a kimono!
May your appreciation for kimonos deepen through these works…
Continuing from last time, this time we’ll be showcasing an outfit of MIYA SHIGISAWA, the heroine of KOYO OZAKI’s novel “KONJIKI YASHA (The Golden Demon)”. For the story of “KONJIKI YASHA,” please see “KONJIKI YASHA #2 ~ This Moon of This Very Night“.
｜The gap between appearance and inner self
In contrast to the story’s dark undertones, “Konjiki Yasha” (The Golden Demon) offers a glimpse into the fashion trends of the time, featuring depictions of the various characters’ attire.
The heroine, Shigisawa Miya, also has several descriptions of her attire, in addition to what I mentioned last time.
“An illustration for KOYO OZAKI’s novel KONJIKI YASHA (The Golden Demon) in the magazine Kuraku” from the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
https://www.momat.go.jp/collection/j00830
｜Cool, Elegant, and Pure Beauty
(In Japanese)
Katsura naradewa to Miyuru madeni Yui nashitaru Maruwage no Urushi no gotoki ni Sango no Rokubudama no Ushirozashi wo Tenji tareba Sarani Shiroeri no Reienbutsu no Tagufu beki naku Kizokunezu no Shibotaka Chirimen no Gomon naru hitoe wo Hikite Obi wa Miruiroji ni Shozoku Kireutsushi no Shikishi Chirashi no Shichin wo Takaku Oitari. Tokiiro Monro no Nagajuban no Suso wa Uwagutsu no Ayumi ni Yuruku Nihoi Koboshite Kinu Tabi no Yuki ni Tawawanaru Sazanka no Hiraku Kokochi su…
from “KONJIKI YASHA”
(In English)
Her round Maruwage bun was so perfectly styled that it looked like a wig, its lacquer-like black gleam punctuated by a back hairpin topped with a six-bu coral bead. Against this, her white neck radiated an incomparable, cold and brilliant beauty. She trailed the train of a five-crested unlined Kimono made of aristocrat-grey, high-crimp silk crepe. Her Obi, tied high on her back, was a shichin brocade of olive-green woven with traditional costume patterns scattered like colored poetry cards. The pink hem of her undergarment spilled outward with her steps inside, making it look just like pink sasanqua camellias gently opening amidst the snow of her white silk Tabi.
from “The Gold Demon”
Even after marrying into the wealthy TOMIYAMA family, MIYA SHIGISAWA could not forget her former fiance, KANICHI HAZAMA, and her marriage was not going well. Furthermore, she lost her child, which left her emotionally devastated.
At that moment, her husband, TADATSUGU TOMIYAMA, is invited to the mansion of a viscount he met through his hobby of photography. Unexpectedly, MIYA SHIGISAWA is there reunited with the man she least wanted to see (but secretly wanted to see most): the fallen KANICHI HAZAMA.
This is MIYA SHIGISAWA’s attire in that scene.
Her hair, perfectly styled and beautifully arranged, gleams with a lustrous shine, adorned with a large, bright red coral hair ornament. The contrast between the black and red accentuates the paleness of her skin at the neckline. She is wearing a five-crested single-layered Kimono in a refined, aristocratic gray (a deep, elegant, purplish gray), a color that was considered fashionable at the time. The fabric is a crepe with a higher-than-usual texture, creating a uniquely beautiful interplay of light and shadow.
The obi is made from a deep, subdued olive green fabric with a slightly yellowish tint, featuring a shimmering, luxurious raised pattern. It is tied high on the back, giving it volume.
Though not flashy, this outfit embodies a meticulously calculated aesthetic of understated elegance, showcasing immense wealth through the texture of the fabric alone.
Furthermore, it is described that with every step, a pale pink nagajuban peeks out from beneath the hem of the Kimono, resembling sasanqua flowers blooming on the snow.
“KONJIKI YASHA Emaki” from Kamakura City Kaburaki Kiyokata Memorial Art Museum
https://www.kamakura-arts.or.jp/kaburaki/collection/konjikiyasyaemaki.html
｜An Impeccable Appearance
(In Japanese)
Monhabutae no Azukikanoko no Tegara shitaru Maruwage ni Bekkoashi no Kinshippo no Tama no Ushiro Kanzashi wo Naname ni Takamakie no Masakogushi wo Kazashite Yosooi wa Geni Chiri womo Osorenu beki Hito…
from “KONJIKI YASHA”
(In English)
Her round Maruwage bun, tied with a heavy mon-habutae silk ribbon in a russet-fawn dapple pattern, pierced at a tilt by a back hairpin of gold cloisonne with a tortoiseshell pin. Crowned with a Masako-style comb in high-relief maki-e lacquer, her groomed appearance was truly that of a person from whom even the dust would shrink back in awe…
from “The Gold Demon”
This is MIYA SHIGISAWA’s appearance during the scene where the rickshaw she was riding in collided violently with the drunk JOSUKE ARAO, injuring him.
She wears a Marumage, a classic hairstyle worn by married women during the Meiji era, and adorns her hair with a luxurious hand-wrapped cloth featuring a family crest on a double-layered silk base with Adzuki-bean-colored Shibori dyeing. A hairpin of gold cloisonne with a tortoiseshell pin is inserted diagonally into the back of her hair, alongside a Masako comb decorated with raised lacquerwork.
She is described as being “so beautiful and noble that one hesitates to even let dust or dirt touch her”.
As the story progresses, MIYA SHIGISAWA becomes mentally unstable, in stark contrast to her opulent attire and physical beauty. This gap between her outward appearance and inner state is one of the highlights of the story.
“Woodblock print illustration for KONJIKI YASHA Emaki” from Kamakura City Kaburaki Kiyokata Memorial Art Museum
https://www.kamakura-arts.or.jp/kaburaki/collection/konjikiyasya.html
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