Dressed by Nature, Adorned by Design: Seeing and reading the Seasons with Kimono

Various studies of Japanese arts and crafts have brought evidence that objects designed in Japan materially and aesthetically reflect the characteristics of the country’s climate and its peo-ple’s appreciation of nature. The kimono is no exception, with numerous demonstrations showing that in its very conception, modes of production as well as in the way it is coloured and patterned, Japanese nature is present, through a literal or symbolical connection with the seasons. By looking at specific modes of kimono production as well as pattern designs that match the iconic “four sea-sons of Japan”, artistic inspirations and newly “imported” seasons, this article proposes to visually survey the different ways seasons are harmoniously or at times paradoxically expressed in kimono design. In addition, poems and passages from novels that have a connection with kimono will be examined, furthering the deep connections between design, Japanese culture and the life of the people who are “seasoning the seasons” in and with kimono.