Fashion history of Japan

Published: July 27, 2026 · Updated: July 28, 2026

Japanese dress runs from simple prehistoric wrapped and woven garments, through Chinese-influenced court robes, to the kosode that became the kimono, and finally to Western clothing adopted from the Meiji era.

Fashion history of Japan — Author: Kitagawa Utamaro Public domain Source

Overview

Two forces shaped the story: waves of borrowing from the continent — tailored dress, court ranks, silk weaving — and long stretches in which those imports were reworked into something distinctly Japanese. The kosode, a small-sleeved robe that began as underwear, slowly rose to become the principal garment and, eventually, the kimono.

The story of dress

The single sharpest break came in the Meiji era, when Western dress (yofuku) was adopted for the military, officials and men’s public life, and the kimono was reframed as traditional wear. In the twentieth century Western clothing became everyday, while Japanese designers and Tokyo street styles carried the country’s fashion back out to the world.

Periods

Fashion in the Jomon period c. 14,000–c. 300 BC
Fashion in the Yayoi period c. 300 BC–c. AD 250
Fashion in the Kofun period c. 250–538
Fashion in the Asuka period 538–710
Fashion in the Nara period 710–794
Fashion in the Heian period 794–1185
Fashion in the Kamakura period 1185–1333
Fashion in the Muromachi period 1336–1573
Fashion in the Azuchi–Momoyama period 1573–1603
Fashion in the Edo period 1603–1868
Fashion in the Meiji era 1868–1912
Fashion in the Taisho era 1912–1926
Fashion in the Showa era 1926–1989
Fashion in the Heisei era 1989–2019
Fashion in the Reiwa era 2019–present