Western Influence on Japan Fashion

Western influence on Japan's fashion began during the mid-1800s to the 1920s, when the Meiji Restoration was occurring, which led to Japan's style adopting certain Western garments and styles, specifically by Japan's very own military - the samurai. During this period, rapid modernization and the Westernization of Japan occurred across society. To be specific, "In Meiji Japan, Western fashion was widely understood as a symbol of modernity and civilization, along with other things Western. However, the regular wearing of Western fashion was only adopted selectively into Japanese society, both among the elites and the commoners"(Zhang, 2023). Japanese designers and fashion houses adapted and integrated Western design elements into their own designs, creating a fusion between the East and the West. It's important to understand that even though Japan was influenced by the West, it incorporates Western ideas without losing its sense of self/cultural identity.

Down below is a video depicting said influence on Japanese fashion:

https://youtu.be/BHh3zYpESKA?si=FK8p2NvtAMTAhEK0

HISTORY OF JAPANESE FASHION

Traditional Japanese fashion surrounds its creation with color palettes from the Heian period: women were known to wear autumn hues such as burnt orange and maroon, while men wore pastel colors. The most well-known form of traditional Japanese fashion is the kimono.

Nara Period: 710 - 794 C.E.

During this period, techniques such as dyeing silk were developed in addition to clothing that now consisted of upper and lower garments, jackets, a front skirt, and a back skirt.

Heian Period: 794 - 1185

The period when the Japanese kimono first appeared was due to the government's ban on trade and diplomacy with China.
The most well-known article of clothing in this period was the jūnihitoe (十二単, "twelve layers"), a formal court dress worn by noble ladies and ladies-in-waiting in the Imperial Court.

Kamakura Period: 1185 - 1133

A shift occurred in the fashion through the introduction of the samurai(a warrior caste system), where women were restricted to wearing only five layers of clothing, and women of the new ruling class enacted their version of court formal wear as a way to display their education, but wore fewer layers because they were frugal.

Muromachi Period: 1136 - 1573

Clothes were modified to be simplistic and easier to move around in to fit the active lifestyle of the samurai.
Women wore only the white kosode
Two new styles were particularly significant: the katsugu and uchikake styles. The katsugu style is a kosode designed to be worn on the head, while the uchikake mode is a callback to the tradition of additional layers to increase formality, which was popular among higher-ranked ladies of the samurai class.
Katsugu became less and less popular over time, while uchikake are still worn in modern times, but are only seen in bridal ensembles.
Muromachi Period kimonos had wider body panels and narrower sleeves

Azuchi-Momoyama Period: 1568 - 1600

Artisans and craftsmen unraveled the secrets of how to weave both thick silk brocades and thin crepes, damasks and satins, which resulted in a large number of new artistic palettes for dyers, painters, and embroiderers without having to import the fabric from China.

Edo Period(Tokugawa Period): 1603 -1868

Because a new dyeing technique has emerged where you could dye complex patterns, kimonos have now become multicolored and are worn in a single layer, and the belt(obi) is now tied in the back.
Kimonos were square-cut with rectangular sleeves. Extra layers began to return in clothing and were tightened around the knees to mimic tiny steps.

Meiji Period: 1868 - 1912

This period marked the influence of Western fashion on Japanese fashion.
Yofuku(Western-style fashion) was introduced, signaling a move in Japanese society toward becoming more modern.
Kimonos continued to dominate in the early Meiji period, and men and women combined Japanese kimonos with Western accessories.

Article Link:

https://www.nani.sg/lifestyle/japanese-traditional-fashion-trends-through-the-years

MILITARY

"The government and through it, the army, were the first to make changes to clothing in Japanese society. A regulation of 1872 ordered the substitution of Western dress for the ceremonial robes of court nobles, and even the Emperor had appeared in Western dress in 1870" (Japan Experience, 2012). Western influence, though allowed, was caused by the government and army changing their clothing to adapt to Westernized styles. In hindsight, it seems as if the general public, though receptive, had no choice but to adapt to the Westernization of their fashion because they had to follow along with higher-ranking officials, specifically the Emperor, since he had vast power and authority, and resistance would be met with consequences. A societal expectation.

BEFORE VS. AFTER

The Japanese Empress shifted from wearing Japanese clothing to wearing Western clothing for the sake of public appearances. Because of the authority under those titles, you see a shift in women's clothing, no longer wearing their traditional kimonos. "The empress's adoption of Western dress was linked with, sometimes even given credit for, the short-lived popularity of such clothing. Westerners"(Hastings, pg. 677). Even though it was short-lived, the Emperess was a priminent figure that held influence, and in her transition from traditional Japanese clothing to Western clothing, women in Japanese society have begun to adapt to that change.

WORKS CITED

Hastings, Sally A. “The Empress’ New Clothes and Japanese Women, 1868–1912.” The Historian, vol. 55, no. 4, 1993, pp. 677–92. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/24448791. Accessed 2 May 2025.
Japan Experince. “Early Westernization & Modernization in Japan 1868-1900.” Japan Experience, 24 Dec. 2012, www.japan-experience.com/plan-your-trip/to-know/understanding-japan/westernization.
Nani. “Japan’s Traditional Fashion Trends: The 1000-Year Evolution through the Eras.” NANI?! なに - Singapore’s Japanese Food & Lifestyle Guide, NANI?! なに - Singapore’s Japanese Food & Lifestyle Guide, 10 May 2024, www.nani.sg/lifestyle/japanese-traditional-fashion-trends-through-the-years.
Zhang, Harry. “‘Kittenish Appearance:’ Western Fashion in Meiji ...” Gettysburg College Headquarters, 2023, cupola.gettysburg.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1037&context=gchq.

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