Funeral kimono?

[bawsin]

Can anyone help clarify the difference in function between the two types of funeral kimono I've heard of?

The first is the mofuku. The Book of Kimono describes it as a solid black kimono decorated only with the formal five mon on shoulder and back. It's worn with a solid black obi also. I've never seen one on Ichiroya, although they turn up from time to time on other sellers' sites. (One seller noted that nowadays they're mostly rented, which could be why they're so rarely seen.)

The second is the kazuki. Ichiroya does list vintage kazuki from time to time on both the website and eBay (he currently has two examples on eBay, in fact). The accompanying description says, "This is a rare funeral kimono - kazuki. It is worn by covering one's head. Because of its wearing way, the neck i different from other kimono. That is the costume for lamenting at the funeral." The body of the kazuki is unlined black silk, but the waist area (on all the kazuki I've seen so far, at least) is white with a sort of cloud pattern, on which is a landscape design of hills and trees and small houses. (What does this depict - a Buddha's pure land perhaps?) Also, the underside of the lower part of the eri is lined with BRIGHT red silk!

So, when would you wear one vs. the other? What did the kazuki look like when worn? (What sort of obi was worn over the waist, and how did you arrange it against the pattern?) If kazuki is an older style of funeral kimono, does anyone wear it any more? I am curious!

[Kiyoaki]

What follows is partly conjecture, but my understanding of the ka(d)zuki is that it wasn't actually worn. Rather it is held over the head by the 'wearer', and not actually allowed to rest on it. You could think of it as a veil of sorts. The kazuki was more an accessory to the monshiki, rather than an essential part of formal costume.

The idea stems in part from the practice of genteel (i.e. kuge or bushi) women using one to hide their face when out of the home and to protect their complexion from the sun. Any suitable kosode could have been used, but over time a specific type developed.

In rural usage, the mon, which is usually centered on the back, is greatly enlarged and shifted down from the collar. When it was used the mon would float above the 'wearer's head __ always remaining clear of her coiffure.

As to its' current form __ judging from the landscape motif used on most kazuki, I'd guess this newer style may have been a Meiji innovation. Perhaps the chonin adapted the genteel form and turned it into a funeral veil. The fact that it doesn't carry a mon suggests the Meiji-type (as I call it) was meant to be a generic garment and was not an essential part of funeral attire.

Perhaps the chief female mourner might have used it to shield her face from public gaze and thereby insure here some privacy. Perhaps too, she preferred a kazuki to a kasa to ward off the sun's rays. In either event, it seems the practice may have fallen out of fashion.

Kiyoaki

P.S. Each hand grasps the opposing collar at a point where it would cross in front (if it were worn conventionally). Instead of wrapping it about the user, both hands are raised overhead and thrust forward somewhat so that the kimono spreads to form an umbrella over the wearer. The wearer also bends her head down to avoid draging the garments onto her hair.
Ideally a stiff fabric would work best. The inner surface of the kimono ends up facing down.