The Samurai - Everyday Life in Traditional Japan - page 21

Beneaththe kami-shimo, theordinary kimono wasworn,withagirdlebehindwhichthe
straps of the shoulder garment were inserted, and underneath that a white undergarment
whichshowedattheneck.Theswordsintheir scabbards wereheldbythisgirdle. Thecos-
tume was completed by white tabi —socks with a padded sole and a division between the
big toe and the smaller ones to allow for the thong of the footwear, when that was worn.
The Shogun himself, and daimyō when not in attendance upon him, did not wear kami-
shimo, but had luxurious garments of the normal kimono shape. For the rare, very grandest
ceremonies, theShogunandhisentourage woreImperial courtcostume, withahatindicat-
ive of rank ( 13 ) .
When on official journeys, mounted samurai wore the trousers, with a three-quarter-
length kimono- shaped coat (haori) instead of the shoulder-jacket; this was held together by
a tie at chest-level. A flat round hat, slightly conical, for protection against sun and rain
was also standard wear. The men on foot wore a sort of breeches, drawn in at the knee,
with leggings. The coat was lifted up at the back by the sword, and gave a characteristic
silhouette to the samurai when he was on a journey ( 15 ) .
Generally speaking, colors for samurai clothes were very sober, being mainly dullish
blues, grays, and browns, either plain or with small patterns or stripes. The shoulder-jacket
and kimono wornbeneathitnormallyborethewearer'sfamilycrest,his mon( 14 ). Trousers
were lined for winter wear, unlined for summer wear, the dates for the change being fixed
at the fifth day of the fifth month and the first day of the ninth month. Off-duty dress was
the kimono without jacket or trousers. A samurai going to town for pleasure would often
hide his face by wearing some sort of deep hat, often a rather comical basket-like affair, in
order not to be recognized, for he might well be disobeying the rules of the establishment
in which he resided.
Another characteristic feature was the arrangement of the hair. The top of the head was
shaved, with the hair at the back and sides gathered together into a queue, oiled, and then
doubled forward over the crown, being tied where it was doubled over. The bunch of hair
was trimmed off very neatly into a cleanly cut end. It was very important for the samurai
nottohaveahairoutofplace,anditwasmostembarrassingforhimtohavethetiebecome
undone or cut in a sword-fight; it was even worse if the whole queue was cut off. If he was
ill, he would leave the crown unshaven, and the hair would grow into a bushy mass, but he
would not appear in public like this.