In kabuki, costume reveals the character in a more explicit way than in nō (see nō site). Designs and colors often carry concrete messages. Although derived from everyday Edo garments of various classes, most of the kabuki costumes have been altered in some form to create bulk, ease movement, or facilitate onstage instant costume changes.
In the Edo period, the basic garment for male and female, old and young, rich and poor was the kosode, the forerunner of the modern kimono. This T-shaped robe with overlapping front panels that were crossed over the chest could be thigh-length, ankle-length (standard), or longer and trail behind the wearer. The sleeves were sewn up at the outer edge forming a pocket but left open around the wrist; their “pockets” could be short or long (furisode). Kosode were worn in layers, the juban was closest to the body and tightly bound, while the outermost layer for upper-class women (uchikake) was draped over the others and allowed to hang open, its padded hem spreading out over the floor.
TYPES OF KOSODE-STYLE GARMENTS
| Name | Gender | Description |
| Jūban 襦袢 | Men and women | Under kosode, or separate top portion. Plain color, dyed patterns, or embroidered designs. Visible at the neck and wrist. Typically, jūban are shortened to about waist length and can serve as outer kosode when combined with matching wrap skirts in a two-part kosode. |
| Kosode 小袖 (kitsuke着付け) | Men and women | Men’s kosode could be plain, striped, or patterned. Merchants might wear them with matching haori, while samurai and higher ranking people would wear kosode as kitsuke under an outer “jacket” or matched suit. Women wear kosode as both inner and outer garments. The top inner kosode is often decorated with dyed and embroidered designs and is bound at the waist with long, wide obi sash. The coloring, pattern, and style of obi sash indicate status, age, occupation, and character. |
| Uchikake 打掛 | Women, upper class | Long, outer kosode of thicker material, heavily embroidered. This long robe is draped loosely over the inner garments, allowing the wadded hem to spread out behind the wearer. |
| Furisode 振袖 | Girls | Long-sleeve colorful kosode. Beautifully decorated with dyes, embroidery and gold-foil (haku). Furisode for commoners are of various colors. For princesses they have a red background and decorative braided cords hanging from the cuffs. Extra-long, they are draped so the wadded hems spread on the ground. The broad obi is tied with long ends (furisage musubi) |
| Kitsuke-haori 着付・羽織 | Men | A combination kosode and thigh-length jacket (haori) having the same design. Townsmen’s garb. |
SEWAMONO: Sonezaki Shinjū Love Suicide at Sonezaki
Tokubei, on the right in the print wears typical merchant’s clothing: a sober, striped kosode over two under kosode, the inner one red, echoing his lover’s red inner kosode. A thin strip of golden gourds at the collar edge of his sober outer kosode suggests a more luxurious inner layer. The courtesan Ohatsu is dressed in bulkier, more decorative layers of kosode. The looser draping of the inner kosode allowing the back of the neck to show typifies geisha styles. The blue and white key-fret pattern on the collar includes a 卍, the symbol of Buddhist temples, seen also on her front-tied obi sash. If in death the lovers are saved, it will be through the prayers of Buddhist priests.
ŌSODE outer garments with wide sleeves open at the cuff.
| Garment | Gender | Description |
| Matched suits: Suō 素袍 Kamishimo 裃 | Men: standard outer garment for samurai. | Combination jacket and pleated trousers (hakama) of the same material and design. The jackets of the suō haves double-width sleeves. When stiffened with bamboo splints, the sleeves can be made to appear like a shield. Designs done in surface dyeing are exaggerated and simplified to dramatic effect. The kamishimo is a simplified version of the suō substituting a vest with broad shoulders for the upper garment. |
| Yoten 四天 | Men: brave, active | A chin-length ōsode without front overlap but split at the sides to facilitate dynamic leg positions. Many are heavily embroidered and embellished with a hem fringe of thick gold tassels. |
| Omigoromo 小忌衣 | Men, lords | A chin-length ōsode without front overlap but split at the sides to facilitate dynamic leg positions. Many are heavily embroidered and embellished with a hem fringe of thick gold tassels. |
| Sokutai束帯 | Men, Courtiers | The broad-sleeved, round collar, upper garment is worn with sashinuki pantaloons bound at the ankles and imitates the sokutai court costume. |
| Jūnihitoe 十二単 | Court women | A simplified version of the court costume, which consists of multiple layers of open-sleeve garments each with slightly shorter sleeves than the last. The long robes spread out and trail to the back of the wearer creating an elegant, flowing figure. |
| Noh-derived costumes | Kabuki based on nō (matsubanme mono) replicate their costumes in tailoring and pattern, but the designs are done in embroidery rather than woven patterning. Noh-inspired costumes include the mizugoromo, happi, kariginu, atsuita, ōkuchi, and hangiri. Designs are often enlarged and simplified. |
| Wigs and head covers | The elaborate coiffured wigs are fully sculpted off the head. Hair ornaments, hats, crowns, and cloth head cloths. |
| Hand-held props | Fans, rosaries, pouches, swords, halberds, etc. |
| Other | Armor, leggings, and footwear. Bodysuits with tattoo patterns. |
JIDAI MONO Kumagai Jinya
Kumagai has heeded the message posted outside his quarter, and in the midst of battle killed his own son rather than an imperial youth among the enemy. Dressed in kamishimo over a kosode, Kumagai (on the steps) carries the head of the youth he killed for inspection by his commander, Yoshitsune (seated at the far right). He blocks his wife, Sagami (on the ground), from seeing the content of the box (her son).
Yoshitsune wears courtier’s lacquered cap, a round-collared court robe (kariginu) with cords at the edge of the hiked-up sleeves over his armor and inner kosode and decorative broad pleated trousers (hangiri). Both the kariginu and the hangiri are adapted from nō costumes. Sagami wears an elegant uchikake over layers of kosode.
Watching them from the left, the stonemason Midaroku, is dressed in plain-colored worker’s clothes of brown and blue, his hakama bound at the chins for better mobility.
The patterns on the garments carry their own messages. Sagami’s uchikake is decorated with chrysanthemums (an imperial flower) and cypress-slat fans, such as are carried by women in the imperial court, suggesting her original job as a lady-in-waiting at court. On Kumagai’s kamishimo a dragon rises from wild waves, its eyes meeting his with determination. The waves recollect Kumagai’s recent battle where he fought Atsumori among the waves on the beach of Ichinotani. The dragon aptly reflects his courage to overcome his conflicting emotions after having sacrificed his own son to save the enemy.
Actors Nakamura Utaemon III as Kumagae Jirô (R) and Nakamura Sankô I as Sagami (L)、Artist Shunkôsai Hokushû (Japanese, active 1810–1832), Publisher Shôhonya Seishichi (Honsei) (Japanese)、1825 (Bunsei 8), 3rd month, William Sturgis Bigelow Collection, MFA. https://mfas3.s3.amazonaws.com/objects/SC144994.jpg
The print of an 1825 performance catches an earlier moment where Kumagi refuses to let his wife see the contents of the box. His aggressive stance and glaring eyes repulsing her pleas are tempered by the implicit connection binding them: The gold paulownia covering his kamishimo is the habitat of the phoenix birds decorating her uchikake.
The above 1831 print ties the three characters through the blues in their costumes as well as their identical head positions. In this version Kumagai wears long trousers (naga-bakama) that cascade down the steps to block his wife. Yoshitsune is dressed in full warrior’s costume. The particularly decorative front lapels indicate his commander status.
SHOSAGOTO Dance pieces
Dance plays incorporate instantaneous onstage costume changes, one of the spectacular aspects of kabuki performance. For these, special costumes are created, most prominently, the kosode have separate tops (jūban) and wrap-round skirts. The tops and skirts are layered one on top of the other. For an instantaneous on-stage costume change, the stage attendant pulls attached strings (hikinuki) and slips off the outermost top and skirt. In Musume Dōjōji, for instance, when the maiden finishes her “courtesan’s dance,” she momentarily turns to the back and a stage attendant can loosen the front of the kosode top, and as she turns forward, dancing, he deftly pulls the strings so the lower half of her outer red kosode falls to the ground while he slips off the upper half. She continues dancing, now in a blue kosode to a new tune and theme.
Musume Dōjōji has nine costume changes marking nine shifts in music, mood and character.
Musume Dōjōji costume changes
Watch a video of Musume Dōjōji
- As she travels to Dōjōji temple, the dancer wears a black kosode with design of cherry blossoms and thread spools. The white obi is embroidered with chrysanthemums.
- Off stage costume change-> dancing in gold court cap and red kimono with embroidered weeping cherries and a black obi sash with embroidered roundels. She will continue to wear this broad obi for the rest of the dances, but other elements of her costume change.
- On stage the gold hat is exchanged for a tirara and the red kimono is removed to reveal a pale blue one with the same weeping cherry design (see above). She mimes bouncing balls and exits.
- Off stage-> the blue top is removed to reveal another light blue or pink garment with similar design. She dances juggling flat round red hats and exits.
- Off stage she changes into a lavender kimono and performs a lament dance waving strips of white cloth. Exits
- Off stage the top is exchanged for a reveal yellow jūban embroidered with large drums. She carries a small drum, which she beats in rhythm while dancing. Exits.
- Off stage she changes into a purple kosode with large hemp-leaf design.
- This is followed by a tambourine dance in white kimono
- On stage. Slipping behind the bell, which has been lowered to the ground she climbs on top, now a demon wearing a kosode with silver triangle (uroko) pattern on white.