Awesome Man's Kimono!!!!

[akihito89]

Do y'all remember when I posted the idea of making a man's shiromuku? Now I think I should put some thing like a kariginu over a shiromuku (or uchikake). There'd be other layers under the Shiromuku, so you'd be wearing a HUGE, HEAVY, and ELABORATE otufit.

The shiromuku ofcourse would have masculinized designs embroidered on it and the sleeves would be 2.5 inches longer (horizontal) so it would better fit a man's body.

What do y'all think?

[Kiyoaki]

Akihito,

The kataginu sounds okay, but I wouldn't be too crazy about those dangling sleeves. Instead of oversized sleeves, why not switch to heavy, stiff material that will stand away from the body to give the figure more mass (as they do for No costumes)?

Kiyoaki

[akihito89]

I don't know why, but I LOVE the big, long sleeves. That's why I have such a thing for shiromukus. This is also why I like the idea of making a young boy's ceremonial kimono into a larger adult man's wedding kimono or something formal like that. I want BIG SLEEVES! I think they rock! I don't know why I like this stuff, I just do.

[Kiyoaki]

Akihito,

If you like big sleeves, why not go for the hirosode? Those sleeves usually measure 27' - 29" from the shoulder seam to the opening. From cuff-to-cuff they can measure 5' - 6' in width and hang down almost to the knee.

Also, try looking for a Buddhist priest's robe. You won't need to use an obi (except for the juban). These have ties attached to the lapels at waist level, so you need only overlap and knot them to keep the front closed.

The Shinto robes are based upon either men's court robes (sukotai), or the hitatare of the samurai from the Kamakura Period. They are easily recognizable because there is cording running along the cuff opening of the sleeves.These are worn with hakama (under for the hitatare and over for the sukotai).

They aren't as readily available as the shiromoku, but they will also probabaly cost less. Unless you really prefer white, they come in all sorts of colors and usually have a subtle rinzu (damask) pattern woven into the material. I've seen better than a dozen in the past year alone. I've also bought a half dozen myself.

Have fun!

Kiyoaki

[akihito89]

Where can i get that shinto stuff? I've thought it looked cool before, but never have seen that stuff or the accessories for it. On the other hand it's real easy to find a shiromuku or whatever. I've spent some time searching for sokutai-esque stuff and religious-priest stuff . I've turned over very little over the past few years. The stuff I found was cool but way out of my price range.

To be honest, I do have a preference for white. There's LOTTS of colors and variations I like, but a HUGE white kimono with GIant sleeves has seemed impresive to me ever since I knew it existed. That's why i like the shiromuku.

[Kiyoaki]

Akihito,

I've found most of mine on E-Bay auctions. I search under "kimono, kesa, kamishimo'. You won't find a whole lot available, but perhaps an item turns up every few months or so. I search everything under that heading [500 items per day]. Not everything that shows up in the listing is actually a kimono, but rather every item that mentions the word 'kimono' in their description. If you confine your search to the items with pictures, were talking about 1 in every 7,500 items.

As far as prices go, I haven't really compared them against the 'shiromuku' but I've bought some of mine for easily under $100. The Shinto robes are a bit more pricey (perhaps twice as much), but they are also more 'showy' and you're more likely to find something with white in the design. I've seen them in yellow, green, even more rarely in a plain white.

If I ever see one, I'll leave a message here for you. Otherwise, send me your e-mail address if you think that would be suitable.

Kiyoaki

[akihito89]

If you find the stuff we're talking about, just send me a private message. It's probably gonna be a while before I buy stuff because I'm a college student with a crappy job.

I searched for "kamishimo" and got the cool formal samurai thing.That's another thing that's really cool and one day I wanna get one.



I may be wearing this out, but I thought when i saw the kamishimo, I could stick this over a shiromuku and tie the shiromuku up so it won't drag under the hakama. I just thought that'd be cool for halloween or some thing like that.

[akihito89]

I'm sorry if I'm wearing this shiromuku thing out. I like shiromukus, and ever since i first saw one, I thought "There should be a guys' version of that". I love the size of it, the long sleeves and wide collar and all that. It's the kind of thing that appealed to me from the first ttime I saw it.

[Kiyoaki]

Akihito,

I've found two items, which are currently up for bids on E-bay.

One is a green/turquoise Shinto priest's jacket with cording at the cuff. The item number is #7199552343. The material is silk, with unknown lining materials.

The other is a kamishimo with 'komon' motif in blue and white. Properly, the fabric should be either cotton or hemp, or a mixture of vegetable fiber for everyday wear. The item number is #7199552892.

I'm not trying to tempt you, but the opening prices are still reasonable.

We all have our favorites. The only objection I have to white, is the color isn't practical. Occasionally, yes __ but not exclusively. White signifies ritual purity in Shinto, and is usually reserved for the most important occasions. The shiromuku would only be worn once in a woman's life. The white kamishimo would be worn for making a formal Shinto offering at a public shrine or for 'sepukku', which I assume you know all about.

Kiyoaki

[akihito89]

I know what your saying about white not being too practical, but ti's still cool. I'm going to look at the stuff you told me about.