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Japanese Textiles As Described In The Literature of Japan 552 A.D. to 1185 A.D.
Author(s) -
Richards Lynne
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
home economics research journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.372
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1552-3934
pISSN - 0046-7774
DOI - 10.1177/1077727x8301100311
Subject(s) - textile , silk , china , context (archaeology) , white (mutation) , geography , history , visual arts , art , archaeology , engineering , telecommunications , biochemistry , chemistry , gene
Historical literature represents an invaluable source of information for the study of textiles in that it often provides interpretive data concerning the social context of textile production and end use. In the current investigation, descriptive textile information was collected from English translations of historical Japanese literature dating from 552 A.D. to 1185 A.D. The data suggested that, during the historical period under investigation, silk was the textile material most prevalent within the upper and middle class populations of Japan, regardless of season or activity, although it was not used to the exclusion of other fibers. These silks, either figured or plain, were frequently colored red, white or purple, but other hues were not uncommon. To some degree, silk was probably a prestigious fabric (especially if manufactured in China), in that it was usually associated with individuals having a higher social status. In general, the silk fabrics described as being worn by women were more decorative than those worn by men, and similarly, the silk fabrics described as being worn by young people were more decorative than those worn by their elders.