Overview
In 603 Prince Shotoku’s court established the kan’i junikai, ranking officials in twelve grades each signaled by a distinct cap color. It was the first time in Japan that dress was tied by law to office and rank.
Key garments and style
Court officials took up Tang-influenced robes, and Buddhist monastic dress (the kesa and robes) entered with the new religion. Everyday commoner dress remained the simple wrapped garments of earlier centuries.
Transition
The ritsuryo state that followed extended these rules into the fuller clothing code of the Nara period.