This set does not have long "kimono sleeves." It is like a regular t-shirt sleeve, but maybe more loose.
Fabrics
Plain-weave or other tightly woven fabric, not transparent at all.
Fiber types
Usually plain cotton or hemp/linen. Worn against the skin directly, so should be easy to wash.
Season
All-season. Unlined unless needed for deep cold.
Formality
Worn either as casual undergarments, such as yukata undergarments, without nagajuban. Does not have eri attached.
Usually white but might be other colours. If wearing for formal occasions, use only white.
Nagajuban + Hanjuban:
Hanjuban - half-juban with longer sleeves and eri, comes with susoyoke. Also called nibushiki juban.
Nagajuban - full length to ankles with longer sleeves and eri
Fabrics
Many available but should be supple and have good drape.
Sha or ro for summer.
Fiber types
Silk, synthetics, or blends.
Synthetics are now cheaper and are easier to wash, so they may be more common.
Season
All-season but depends on weight of fabric and whether a lining is present or not. Can be thin, unlined silk or ro, or lined. Linings, of course, are paired with lined (awase) kimono. Heavier or thicker linings are for deeper cold, but most of Japan doesn't get that cold.
Formality
Coloured - mostly antiques
Red - formal for young wearers, such as furisode or children's kimono; may also be antiques, which have more "flexibility" in terms of formality. Typical rules about gold/silver elements may apply.
Pink or pale yellow/orange - semiformal, motifs may be paired with season. Modern furisode juban are often pale pink or cream.
Paler pink <--> paler = more formal
White - most formal, correct for homoungi, 5-kamon kimono, kurotomesode. Can be worn with mid-formality kimono
Fashion
For summer, a juban with a different pattern under usumono was once fashionable.
Ro juban are sometimes changed slightly ahead of season, along with summer accessories, depending on tradition (such as Kyoto geiko house traditions.)
Other Features
built-in waist tie (himo) usually seen on some antiques or kids' juban
chikara nuno ("strong fabric") / emon nuki (same thing)- should be attached to juban collar, with adjustable lines to lower or raise collar
kantan eri (easy collar) - akin to chikara nuno, but not attached to the juban itself. can be used with hadajuban to 'upscale' yukata, or used to shape the collar without strain on the juban. also called shitate eri or usotsuki eri.
a kantan eri I made, next to shaping an antique juban's collar. private collection.
This (2009) video of dressing a maiko shows first hadagi, then hanjuban + susoyoke, then the actual eri being tied on separately. It would make sense for someone with a delicately embroidered collar to keep it as a separate piece. Where a "normal person" would pick it off the juban, a performer has to have their undergarments cleaned regularly and the weight of that heavy collar would damage it. Maiko wear the embroidered collar over the nagajuban but a kantan eri is worn underneath it or instead of nagajuban.
For myself, I take many dressing cues from professionals who wear kimono daily. they are the closest most modern people get to elegant, fashionable examples of women who wore kimono daily over 100 years ago.
One element, besides the collar being separate when possible, is the layering of colours without extra weight. If one looks at the nape of the eri for geiko kimono, there is the outer kosode layer, a collar layer, and an innermost layer from the hadagi. Chikara nuno, above hadagi and below nagajuban, feels like it gives that slight glance at a third layer of colour or pattern. It's very small and hardly noticeable but can give just one more element to an outfit, like a fuji pattern in summer or asanoha in late Autumn or Winter.
Sources:
(to be filled in, beyond ... just what i've accumulated over twenty years...)
- Alan McFarlane, "Maiko or Trainee Geisha Being Dressed- Full Version." 2009
- Let's Ask Shogo!, "Why Men Dress Maiko's Kimono." 2022
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Hi ,this is a greatblog .I was wondering is there a way to tell from wich district a geiko is from ,like one can tell from te maiko with the mom , thanks
Thank you :) In Kyoto, there really aren’t any visual cues indicating which district a geiko is from (they tend to look the same a lot of the time). However, geisha in some other cities do differentiate visually between their districts. For example, geisha in the Shinbashi and Kagurazaka districts in Tokyo wear different hairstyles and tie their obi differently. Tumblr user @maigeiko would have more information about geisha from other cities if you’d like to know more.