Furisode

In a broad sense, furisode means sleeves which hang loose and "flutter," and kosode kimono with a "fluttering" sleeve also is called furisode. Furisode sleeves are sewed onto a small part of the kimono body as compared with other types of kimono. This allowed the sleeves to hang loosely and "flutter." Katabira (unlined ramie kimon.), hitoe(unlined silk kimono), and utikake (slightly padded silk kimono) also belong to this broad category of fufisode.

In a narrow sense, a slightly padded silk kimono with fluttering sleeves, which is not worn as an uchikake outer garment, is included in this category of furisode. Although this type of kimono was worn in the 16th century, when the kosode kimono without fluttering sleeves became popular, it was not yet known as furisode, nor does it have sleeves as long as present-day furisode. It was not until the mid-Edo period that the name furisode was applied to a specific garment. According to historical documents and as seen in portraits, furisode of that time were worn mainly by young women and children.

Originally, the idea of leaving the sleeves of a young person's kimono unattached was for ventilation. This kind of kimono was called wakiake, not furisode, and it did not have long sleeves.

Changes in the Sleeve Length

At the beginning of the Modern Age (16th century), when furisode was first adopted, it was a very practical garment. But as time passed, its decorative aspects gained in importance.

As written in Teijo- Zakki, the sleeves of the furisode became longer and longer until they reached a length of about 45 cm in the Kambun era (1661-73). Called oo-furisode, this sleeve length did not change until the Ten'na era (1681-84) as recorded: "It was fashionable to tie-dye oo-furisode in various colors scattered over the kimono. This garment has 45-cm-long sleeves (Ten'na Shoishu published in the Ten'na era)."

By the Empo and Ten'na eras (1673-84), 45-cm-long sleeves were called oo-furisode, and people were singing a song about them (Kinsei Kiseki-ko written by Santo Kyoden).

Thereafter, the sleeves continued to lengthen. In Dokugo written by Dazai Shundai, the sleeves were recorded as being about 60 cm long in the Jokyo era (1684-88), and in Saikaku Zoku Tsurezure, Written by Ihara Saikaku in 1695, they had reached the length of 66 cm in the Genroku era (1688-1704). Ihara Saikaku states: "Boys can wear wakiake with long sleeves until the spring of their seventeenth year, and for girls, no matter whether they are married or not, they cannot wear it after the autumn of their nineteenth year. After that, they must wear kimono with short sleeves and closed sides. People used to be very honest, but now, some actors and actresses wear oo-furisode until they become thirty-six or-seven, but that is their job."

Thus, when boys became seventeen and girls nineteen, oo-furisode, a symbol of youth, was shortened and the sides of the kimono were sewn closed. However, although tomesode, the kimono that appeared in the late Edo period, had shorter sleeves, they were still long enough to flutter.

In the Kyoho era (1716-36), the sleeve length was about 75 cm, and in the Horeki era (1751-64), the length was about 87 cm. This is recorded in the above-mentioned Dokugo by Dazai Shundai, in Mimochi Dangi by Ejima Shigetomo, in Habaoya Katagi, and in Kinnsei Onna Fuzoku-Ko by Narukawa Haruaki.

Another historical document, Morisada Manko by Kitagawa Morisada gives a further description of the length of sleeves and their appearance: 'After the Kan'en and Horeki eras (1748-64), sleeves became about 80 to 87 cm long, depending on the person's height, They almost brushed the ground."

From the middle of the Edo period, the length of furisode sleeves became longer and longer. Furisode also was a favorite motif in ukiyoe prints. Obviously, the decorative aspects of furisode were valued by thepeople of that time.

Occasions for Wearing Furisode

Morisada Manko gives more information concerning occasions on which furisode were worn: "Nowadays, the nobility and rich of Osaka and Kyoto wear it daily. The middle class wears it on special occasions, such as weddings and at the New Year, but not daily, and only a few people from the lower classes can afford to wear it even on special occasions," and that "Recently many daughters of the middle-class families of Osaka and Kyoto, as well as women of the pleasure quarters, wear furisode with 45-cm-long sleeves, even on not-so-special occasions. They are called chu-furisode (mid-length furisode) and are as valued as oo-furisode."

Chu-furisode, or furisode with shorter sleeves were worn daily in the late Edo period.

When young women got married, and when young men became adults after going through a ceremony called Gempuku, their sleeves were shortened. This sleeve shortening was called tomesode and sewing closed the sides of the kimono was called waki'-fusagi. In the history of furisode, the change to tomesode symbolized entry into adulthood, This custom was a means for society to mark children's growth and recognize them as adults.

Tomesode also referred to a kimono with shortened sleeves. Because tomesode was worn by adult women, it was not as decorative as furisode, and its sleeve length did not reflect fashion trends very much. However, some minor changes occurred. Before the Bunka and Bunsei eras(1804-30) the 33- to 35-cm-long sleeve became 37 to 39 cm long. By the end of the Edo period, it had reached 45 cm, almost as long as oo-furisode of the Empo and Ten'na eras.