Re: Children's Kimono

[Himiko]

My son's got a jinbei, a pajama-like top and the sleeves are like regular sleeves, not elongated....u can see a pic of him at
www.geocities.com/drhimiko/ryusuke.html
but for more formal kimono, i don't know about patterns as i have not one for him yet.

[Kiyoaki]

Zaphod,

For children, the traditions are a bit mixed. Traditionally, until the age of three, neither boys nor girls had their hair cut. Often, when their hair was cut, the style was the same for boys and girls. This approach carried over into dress for both genders until the age of five for boys and seven for girls.

At five, boys were formally recognized as individuals. They underwent a ceremony in which they were dressed in hakama for the first time, which signified an end to childhood and their growing responsibility as men. For girls, the equivalent occured at age seven, when they wore their first formal obi [as opposed to the 'heko-obi of their childhood]. This occasion also signaled an end to irresponsible behavior.

Until the age of five, a boy's formal kimono could have open seams along both the cuff and armscye of the sleeves. Many of the 'miyamairi' garments have this feature. The obvious distinction between male and female garments of this type is largely indicated by the motifs and color schemes, especially the black ground that is used on so many intended for boys.

That color reflected the formalized occasion of presenting an infant at the family's shrine. Most often, boys were favored over girls in this family event because the girls would presumably marry and adopt themselves into the husband's family. Nevertheless, girls were often accorded this same rite.

After their 'coming of age' ceremonies, their kimono followed adult styles in terms of open or closed sleeves. However, for practicality sake, the sleeves were often shortened or tapered toward the cuff, because childeren were not so practiced and adept at watching for their dragging sleeves.

The 'jimbei' Himiko mentions, is a kind of jacket that is worn for warmth. It's more like a vest and often matches a kimono (especially if it's meant for dressy occasions). The garments that have the long ties on the lapels are probably for children under five. Once a child is considered a responsible person, he/she should be wearing an obi instead.

March 3rd once was 'Girl's Day'. May 5th used to be 'Boy's Day'. But now the 'shichi-go-san' [7, 5, 3] tradition has amalgamated all these festival days into 'Children's Day'.

Kiyoaki