Editing Culture of Japan (section)

==Traditional clothing==
{{main|Japanese clothing}}
{{see also|List of items traditionally worn in Japan}}
[[File:Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako in formal wedding robes.jpg|thumb|Newly-wed [[Naruhito|Emperor Naruhito]], then Crown Prince, wearing a {{transliteration|ja|[[sokutai]]}} and [[Empress Masako]], then-Crown Princess, wearing a {{transliteration|ja|[[jūnihitoe]]}}. Costumes of these styles have been worn by the Imperial family since the [[Heian period]], when a unique Japanese style developed.]]
[[File:Stylish person at Fukuoka City Hall.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Woman in [[kimono]] at Fukuoka City Hall]]
The [[kimono]] is the national garment of Japan, having developed from Chinese court clothing in the [[Nara period]] following [[Japanese missions to Tang China|the exchange of diplomatic envoys]] between the two countries at that time. The word ''kimono'' translates literally as 'thing to wear on the shoulders'; however, this term developed some time around the Edo period, before which most kimono-like garments were referred to as the {{transliteration|ja|[[kosode]]}} ({{gloss|short sleeve}}), with longer-sleeved garments being known as {{transliteration|ja|[[furisode]]}} ({{gloss|swinging sleeve}}).

The earliest versions of the kimono were heavily influenced by traditional Chinese clothing, known today as {{transliteration|zh|[[hanfu]]}} ({{nihongo||漢服|kanfuku}} in Japanese). This influence was spread through Japanese envoy missions to China, resulting in extensive Chinese cultural adoption by Japan as early as the 5th century CE.<ref name="Dalby, Liza 2001">Dalby, Liza (2001). Kimono: Fashioning Culture. Seattle: University of Washington Press. {{ISBN|9780295981550}}. OCLC 46793052.</ref> It was during the 8th century, however, that Chinese fashions came fully into style, and following the [[Japanese missions to Imperial China#Envoys to the Tang court|cancellation of the 20th mission]] to Tang dynasty China, these fashions developed independently, with the overlapping, V-shaped collar becoming women's fashion and the precursor to the modern kimono.<ref name="Dalby, Liza 2001"/>

Kimono, alongside all other items of traditional Japanese clothing, are known collectively as {{transliteration|ja|hepburn|wafuku}}, meaning 'Japanese clothing', as opposed to {{transliteration|ja|hepburn|yōfuku}}, Western-style clothing. Kimono come in a variety of colors, styles, and sizes. Men mainly wear darker or more muted colors, while women tend to wear brighter colors and pastels, and, especially for younger women, often with complicated abstract or floral patterns.

In previous decades, married women wore short sleeved kimono, whereas unmarried women wore long sleeved kimono to both formal and informal occasions; however, the rise in both the average age of marriage and the numbers of women never marrying in Japan has led to the divide between sleeve length becoming one more of age, with most women in their early twenties wearing long sleeved kimono only to formal occasions, and most women past their early twenties wearing short sleeved kimono to formal events, regardless of marriage status. Other developments include the abandoning of layered kimono and the standardisation of the length of short sleeved women's kimono to a range of roughly {{convert|49–52|cm|in}} in length, both developments driven by fabric shortages in WWII.

The {{transliteration|ja|[[happi]]}} coat is another form of traditional clothing. A {{transliteration|ja|happi}} (commonly Anglicised as "happy") coat is a straight sleeved coat typically decorated with a family crest and/or kanji along the collar. In previous centuries, {{transliteration|ja|happi}}-style coats known as {{transliteration|ja|hikeshi sashiko banten}} or simply [[hikeshi banten]] were commonly worn by [[hikeshi|firefighters]]; the coats would be constructed from several layers of heavy cotton stitched together, and would be soaked in water to provide protection from fire.

Alongside traditional clothing, Japan also has distinct footwear; {{transliteration|ja|[[tabi]]}}, ankle-length split-toed socks, are commonly worn with the kimono, and are designed to be worn with traditional shoes such as [[geta (footwear)|geta]] and [[zōri]]. Geta are thonged sandals mounted on wooden blocks extending from the base of the shoe to the floor, and are worn by men and women with kimono or {{transliteration|ja|yukata}}; zōri are flat-based or sloping sandals made of a number of different materials, and are considered to be more formal than geta.

Fashion trends and consumer apathy have hurt the Japanese kimono industry. Kimono sales and traditional tailors suffered after WWII due to Western fashion. Innovative and diverse kimono makers have revived the declining industry. Internationally, the industry has tried casual styles. Cultural appropriation is hard. The Boston Museum of Fine Arts' "Kimono Wednesdays" led to cultural appropriation debates. Asian-American protesters cited Orientalism, racism, and cultural appropriation. Protests sparked global cultural debate and appropriation. The protests lacked Japanese and Japanese-American representation, say critics. Scholars say Edward Said's "Orientalism" may not always apply.<ref name=":1" />

Cultural appropriation could harm kimono exhibitions. War can hinder cultural exchange and Japanese fashion abroad. Japanese mainstream media and cultural commentators rarely mention it. Cultural appropriation may lead to kimono experimentation, say Japanese commentators. Cultural appropriation and Japanese fashion remain hot topics. Globally, the industry must balance cultural integrity and innovation.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=O'Dwyer |first=Shaun |date=August 5, 2015 |title=Of kimono and cultural appropriation |url=https://www.academia.edu/33224842 |via=[[Academia.edu]] |journal=The Japan Times |pages=4}}</ref>