Overview
After official embassies to Tang ended in 894, court dress developed a distinctly national style (kokufu). Noblewomen wore many unlined robes (uchiki) beneath a karaginu jacket and a trailing mo — the ensemble later nicknamed junihitoe, or twelve layers, though the count varied.
Key garments and style
Men wore the sokutai for ceremony and the lighter noshi or kariginu informally. The prized art was kasane no irome, harmonies of layered colors named for flowers and seasons and glimpsed at collar, sleeve and hem.
Transition
As warrior government rose, this heavy, elaborate dress gave way to simpler clothing, and the small-sleeved kosode worn underneath began its long rise toward the outer garment.