The kimono makes the man

Men's kimono send messages. Here's how to read them.

Nov 01, 2024

*Kari-shozoku* is formal attire for hunting.

The TV miniseries Shōgun did an amazing job capturing my country’s culture and traditions. That’s why I love writing about about subtleties non-Japanese viewers may have missed, such as non-verbal cues (what I call “the Shogun code”), the return of jidaigeki (period dramas), and the use of female kimono as status symbols. This time, I’d like to talk about men’s kimono, and what sorts of messages can be found hidden in these fashions.

Although kimono come in many different fabrics, patterns, and colors, their structure follows the same general pattern: long sleeves, long hems, and a rectangular shape. So everyone dressed, broadly speaking, similarly. But in the Era of Warring States, it was critically important to humble yourself before those of higher rank in society. There were many ways to do this, such as your choice of words or body language, as I wrote about in previous essays. Choosing the right kimono was equally if not even more important, for it telegraphed your understanding of your place in society without even saying a word.

The picture below is from episode 4. Blackthorne, Mariko, and Nobushige all wear kimono, but the differences among them would have been crystal clear to anyone of the time period. Mariko’s kimono radiates high status, for reasons I will explain later. Meanwhile, Blackthorne and Nobushige both carry katana, symbols of membership in the samurai warrior class, and both wear dark-colored fabrics. At first glance, you might think them equals. But if you know your kimono, it is abundantly clear that there is a class difference between the two – and Blackthorne is the lower.

How can I know this? Don’t worry, I’ll explain step by step!

First, know that there are ranks to kimono. The way in which Blackthorne’s outfit changes over the course of the series captures this very well.

Blackthorne begins the story at the lowest rank of feudal society: a prisoner. However, as his adventure unfolds, he gains trust from Lord Toranaga and moves up in the world. In the end, he sits amid a gathering of powerful warlords as a hatamoto, a higher-ranking vassal.

Here’s Blackthorne in episode one, at his lowest, both on a personal and a status level. He is clad in a very beaten-up kimono made of hemp. It is very labor intensive to spin thread and weave kimono, no matter the material. But in contrast to silk, hemp is readily available and easier to harvest. This made hempen kimono the most common form of dailywear among average folk. And this also made hemp kimono “lower” than silk ones.

What’s more, Blackthorne’s outfit looks very shabby compared to the yellow kimono worn by the foreign man next to him. Both are wearing hemp, but Blackthorne’s looks like it has been recycled many times. Which makes me wonder how many unfortunate prisoners wore this particular kimono before him. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if its previous wearer – or more likely, wearers – had been executed, making it a kind of gruesome hand-me-down.

By episode 4, Blackthorne had gained enough of Toranaga’s trust to become one of his retainers. As a result, he is given a new kimono of indigo-dyed hemp, similar to those worn by other vassals. But if you look closely, there are small but noticeable differences. Because Toranaga bestowed upon Blackthorne the title of hatamoto, a higher-ranking vassal, his outfit differs from the gokenin, or lower-ranking vassals. One is that Blackthorne wears an undergarment; you can see its collar peeking out from beneath the blue. Another is that he wears a pair of hakama trousers, while the lower vassals make do with closer-fitting long pants. These may seem subtle. I get it. But trust me, in kimono culture, these are huge differences.

Episode 6 is a big turning point for Blackthorne. He begins wearing a silk kimono, of a type that is called tsumugi.

Tsumugi are the daily wear of the samurai class. As you can see below, Nobushige and his men wear the same sort of kimono. However, even here, you can see clear differences in terms of rank. Nobushige wears a jinbaori, a warrior’s jacket, decorated with silk accents and feathers. (This may be a nod to the real-life warlord Oda Nobunaga, who was a fashion trendsetter of the era, and often seen in a jacket of raven-feathers.) This splendid outfit situates Nobushige as being in authority.

The man standing behind Nobushige’s right shoulder sports a tsumugi jacket, while the one to the left does not. This accessory shows that the jacket-wearing man is second in charge here. Also, look closely at the patterns. The underlings’ (and Blackthorne’s) tsumugi are simply patterned, but Nobushige’s has a stylish rectangular weave. So in every way Nobushige’s outfit is the most complex, which means the most expensive. And it all conspires to mark him as the highest ranking person here – without anyone saying a word.

So, what are tsumugi?

Making the finest silk kimono, you won’t be surprised to hear, requires the finest silk threads. Manufacturing this kind of silk involves unraveling a tiny thread from a silkworm cocoon, as seen below. These fine, almost ethereal threads are spun and woven into a white cloth known as tanmono. These are in turn dyed with pretty colors to make beautiful patterns. The resulting kimono are considered the most sophisticated. Which brings us back to Mariko. In the first photo, she’s wearing a kimono of this type. It is called somé (more specifically ato-zomé, or “after-dyed,” because the dyeing happens after the fabric is made).

Silkworms are living things. So not every cocoon is perfectly formed; some silkworms are better at weaving themselves neat cocoons than others. If a cocoon isn’t well formed, it can be difficult to unspool it as a single thread. But this doesn’t mean they can’t be used. When workers find a “problematic” cocoon, they put it aside for a different technique. The cocoons are boiled to open them into a kind of mesh that is then spun into yarn, as seen below. The resulting material is still silk, but a little rougher. The verb for spinning thread into yarn is tsumugu, which is what gives “tsumugi” kimono their name. Since tsumugi are woven with yarns from lower-quality cocoons, tsumugi are seen as lower than somé kimono.

But don’t get me wrong. While tsumugi may be considered “lower” in terms of classiness, they can be and often are absolutely beautiful. The more elaborate the tsumugi, the higher the price. Still they are fundamentally seen as casual attire. You might think of them like jeans today – there are simple mass-market ones and super luxury ones.

Ishido is wearing tsumugi kimono and tsumugi haori jacket

Now in episode 9, we see Blackthorne in fine form. He’s wearing the nicest kimono he’s ever been seen in, for the entire series! It’s a tsumugi with a golden-colored silk jacket.

My favorite part of his outfit is the inner collar. It is made of colorful somé silk, something we’ve never seen Blackthorne wear before. It looks quite cute on him, if I might say! This may seem a minor detail, but it’s exactly because of this kind of detail that the show feels so rich and immersive. And to those who know kimono, it’s fun to watch the progression as Blackthorne “levels up” on his journey.

Even still, Blackthorne ranks lower than Nobushige. By this point, he knows this, and that he must dress to differentiate himself. How does he get away with such a classy look? Just look at another screen shot from the same episode below. Nobushige isn’t wearing a tsumugi at all. His outfit is much more elaborate, and decorated with gorgeous patterns. This formal wear also has more layers (which means it's even more expensive.)

Needless to say, Lord Toranaga’s outfit is the most glorious of them all. Throughout the series, Toranaga’s kimono are a sight to behold, outshining all of the others!

There you have it. I hope that gives you a little more understanding of kimono classes, and how they were used to express your status in society centuries ago.

Oh, by the way, there is a fundamental rule for wearing silk kimono.

You can never, under any circumstances, EVER let your silk kimono get wet. If you do, it will shrink! So whenever I go out in my silk kimono, I watch the weather forecast like a hawk. If there is even a tiny chance of rain, I carry a traditional raincloak folded up in my bag. This scene of Toranaga standing outside in a driving rain made me want to scream. I hope this was a special effect, or at least was shot at the very end of the production, because a silk kimono can’t be used anymore after a soaking like this!