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The Dresses of peace and safety

- Traditional court dress of Japan -

The traditional court dress of Japan descended from China 1300 years or more ago.
And then, they changed to Japanese style.
It is because the exchange ship with China was abolished in A.D. 894.

About 900 years ago, they became the almost same thing as the form seen now.
They are still worn in Emperor's court and shrine today.

100 years or more ago, a samurai's time was ended.
Japanese people chose Occidental dress as formal dress.
They were not traditional Japanese clothes.
About 70 years ago, Japanese people came to have Occidental clothes onas usual clothes.
Today, it is rare to see the Japanese who has Japanese clothes on.
Even by Emperor, it is not worn other than the time of a religious event.

The old Japanese who loved peace liked the dress of a loose silhouette.
So, There was no activity in traditional Japanese clothes.
All countries in the world of 100 years ago liked the active thing rather than peace.
Japan imitated them and did.
However,Japanese people love peace as well as people in the world ,now.

Court dress of Japan was big and loose.
Those dresses fitted the lawyer, the priest, the poet, the musician and the civil servant rather than the military man.
Japanese court nobles desired to be more graceful than an active thing.
Of course, there were the military men those days, but there was no war, so, their dresses were also un-militant.
Their work was loving peace even if there was a status as a military man.
In order to have become the Emperor's Guardsman, musical instrument performance capability and talent of a dance were required other than martial art capability.
Court nobles were haughty by their own characteristic. They were arrogant to the people.
However, they did not like war. They loved peace and literary.
In the National University of those days, literature(literary and history) department was a higher rank from law department, physical science (mathematics) department, and foreign language (Chinese) department. Medical department was lower positioning farther than literature department!
Literature and the knowledge about history were required for the politician or the senior bureaucrat.
GENJI MONOGATARI(Tale of former Imperial prince) was in one of the famous novels in this Heian period.
The talk of a court dress appears in the novel which court nobles wrote 1000 years ago repeatedly.

The time classification of Japan 1000 years ago was called "Heian period".
Heian is the word which means peace and safety.
It is because the Emperor named The capital of peace and safety to his imperial capital.
The capital before "Heian" was named "Heijou (peaceful castle)." "castle" was the word associated with military power.
The Emperor "KANMU" wished "peace and safety" continued forever in his empire.
Although the Heian period continued for 400 years, the death penalty was not executed once in the meantime.
It is because the Emperors and court nobles did not wish execution to sinners. Even if there are felony people.
Anyway,since it was 1000 years ago, there were barbarous customs and the dead in a battle. However, there was no formal execution by national power. Is there any country without execution of a death penalty as long as 400 years? I do not know such a country other than Japan.

Today,The event in which people who wear Japanese traditional court dress participate is said "It seems to be the picture scroll of Heian period".
It is the right understanding.
They are "the dresses of the Heian period".
That is, they are "the Dresses of peace and safety".

"Internationalization" will not be that the whole world becomes uniform.
Since all things are different, they are interesting! Since all human beings are different, they are wonderful!
People in the world need to respect the racial clothes and culture of each other.
Please respect each other difference. I think that it causes peace to the world.
I like all dresses in the world. I regard dress of Europe, Arabia,Africa, India, China, and Korea etc as wonderful dress.
I think that Japanese tradition dress is a wonderful dress like them.
Loving Japanese tradition dress leads to loving the culture of every country in the world.
I wish that "dress of peace and safety" is loved by more many people.
I expect that they are worn by many people as dress of a ceremony.

Today,Japanese tradition dresses can wear only by the Shinto priest at the time of a religious rite, or are worn by the participant in costume parade for some historical events.
Otherwise, they are stored in the museum as an old work of art.
The dress was not produced on the other side of the glass in a museum. Although they were valued, they were not clothing in which it is always kept put in in a treasure warehouse. And it is not also a dress only for priests. They were old everyday clothes and were not religion dress. When worn by many people, dresses demonstrate the real value which they have.
People who love peace had better wear a peaceful dress. At least, in the important ceremony(for example, graduation ceremony, coming-of-age ceremony, marriage ceremony, wedding anniversary, relative's congratulation event and... a funeral) visited several times in your life, you should wear it. Japanese tradition dresses have the qualification for receiving the treatment as a full dress. Since they were the dresses of the Emperors or court nobles anyway!

Since history of Japan was long, there was also a jingoistic time in in the meantime.
It is a very regrettable thing. I am sad about it and am reflecting on it deeply. However, almost all the periods of history of Japan were the times of loving peace. You should remember Japan of an old peaceful time.
Loving history of Japan is loving the history of every country in the world. As people of all the countries in the world love the history of their own country, I love history of Japan.
I fear your misapprehension. Loving history of my own country and ultranationalism are not equal. And I do not desire revival of an aristocrat system. It is important that the common people wear aristocrats' dresses.

It seems that foreigners think that Japanese culture has two keywords. They are the "WABI(silence)" which tea and zen represent, and the "IKI(smart)" which Hokusai's ukiyoe represents.
It is wrong.
Japanese culture has the third (in fact, It is the oldest.) keyword. It is "MIYABI (graceful)." Since it is too old , people tend to forget it.
It tends to be forgotten not only by the foreigner, but also by Japanese people too.
"WABI" is a cultural term of 500 years ago. "IKI" is it of 300 years ago. However, since "MIYABI" is it of 1000 years ago, it is covered with the historical veil.
Although scholars are studying it with passion, since a historical fog is deep, the real image of MIYABI is not clear.
It being able to say with firm belief is saying, "MIYABI is the culture produced at Heian era (peace and safety time)."
Although there are people who misunderstand history, they also know that "MIYABI" is culture unrelated to bloodiness.
The people of peace state Japan have to remember "MIYABI." I wish people of every country in the world to know old "MIYABI soul" of Japan.
It is difficult to understand "MIYABI". But, the wonderfulness and beauty of a dress are understood by many people easily.

I am sorry!
I said it too much intricately.
Simply, I like a tradition dress of Japan. I have desire of wanting to wear them. And I want to share the joy which wears those dresses with you.
I will be very glad if you are pleased in this site written only in Japanese.
Please contact me, if you like a tradition dress of Japan and there is an opportunity to come to Japan.
If conditions are ready, I will dress you with them. By doing so, I wish that you take to Japanese culture more.

For revival,rehabilitation, and spread of "dress of peace and safety", I established this website.
I expect that you understand my wish.

Thank you very much for your visiting.

"The capital of peace and safety" was in present "Kyoto." "Kyoto" is the word which means "The Capital of capitals." "Tokyo" is the word which means "The east capital." Probably, you understand. Your idea is right. "kyo" is the word which means "capital."
However, "kyo" is not original Japanese pronunciation. It is Chinese pronunciation.
In original Japanese, a capital is pronounced not with "kyo" but with "miyako." In Japan, China style pronunciation and Japanese-style pronunciation exist in one Kanji (Chinese character). The Japanese of 1000 years ago were the bilinguals using Japanese and Chinese!

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