The "kosode" (=short sleeves) garment is an underwear in the Heian era.

>From the Kamakura era to the Muromachi era, the "kosode" garment turned into an outer-garment gradually.

It evolved into the clothes of "mono-color and without patterns" to "multi-color with patterns" in the historical process.

In order to make its form, the unit of the two width of body and half width of sleeve is used by cutting of clothes on the basis of 45 centi-meter width.

Its "sode-guchi (=cuff)" is made narrow; its "erikataaki" vacancy of a collar is narrow; its "eritake," collar length is long; its "tate-zuma", the portion of the right-and-left both ends of the skirt of clothes, is short.

Moreover, its width of "okumi" portion is broad, its "uki", the length from back sewing to a cuff, is short and the width of body is also broad.

As a matter of fact, it is not a confortable to wear.

For this reason, it is probably the vestiges of the "uchiki" garment as everyday wear that a "uchikake" dress is worn without fastening a "obi" belt on a "kosode" garment.

>From the Momoyama era to the Edo era, the "kosode" garments came to be worn frequently.

The width of cloth changed to 33centi-meters width which is convenient to wear clothes.

The form of it was also established and it has resulted as it is by today.

As for the pattern of dyeing, the "tsujiga-bana" dyeing method of the Muromachi era, the combination of embroidery and "harihaku (=pressing foil)" of the Momoyama era, which is called the "nuihaku (=sewing foil)"method, the "kara-ori (=Chinese textiles)" silk fabrics, which appear like embroidered, were used.

In the early times of Edo era, since the patterns on the cloth were made by using variegation, "surihaku", and embroidery, all the cloth of a material was completely covered by them.

There, the beautification to a kind of limit was created.

This is so-called "Jinashi-kosode of Keicho".

Having been started by the "tsujiga-bana -zome" dyeing method, the dyed patterns of "kosode" reached its highest tide in the "Kosode of Eicho".

This technology disappeared according to other dynamic causes, such as the extravagant prohibition law, and the automatic cause by the start of "Yuzen" dyeing method.

As regard to the dyed "kosode" garment of the beginning of modern times, the later term of Muromachi era is its eraly term and, the peak time of the Momoyama era is the mid term and the Keicho period of Edo era is the last term.

The figure in the photo wears the restored "Kosode of Keicho" which united the strong point of the "tsujiga-bana-zome" dyeing method and the "nuihaku" method of the peak time of Momoyama era.

The figure wears a slender "obi" belt; the woman should wear one more piece of "kosode" garment when going out.

The hair style of the woman is an old-fashioned straight hair which is expressing that she is the one of the upper class.