Kimono vs. Hanfu

Eastern cultures are all somehow similar, especially those countries that are located around China, like Japan. There is no doubt that Japan has its own traditional clothing in history as well. For this post, I would like to compare the traditional Japanese clothing Kimono with the traditional Chinese clothing--Hanfu.

Kimono:

Kimono is the traditional Japanese clothing. It derived from the Chinese curving-front garment that I mentioned before in the previous post. However, Japanese ancestors made some obvious changes based on it.

Here are some pictures of Kimono vs. Hanfu:

Source: Xiaoyue

Firstly, if you put the Kimono on the floor, you can easily find out that there is no curve on it. All the lines are straight, which means that once if you put it on, you will find out that it cannot show your figure at all. However, that is exactly what the Japanese ancestors want. They want to make themselves look calm, serious, and peaceful. On the contrary, Hanfu wants to show your figures in a positive way. It fits perfectly when you put it on and the curve will make you look prettier and thinner.

What’s more, because Japan is an island country, the weather there is always warm and humid, which means that the air permeability of Kimono should be super great in order to make people feel cooler and more comfortable. However, Hanfu will cover most of your body thoroughly in order to ensure that no one else can see your body skin except your family members.

The most important difference is that Japanese people still wear the Kimono in holidays or even everyday life nowadays, while most Chinese people just forget about the fact that Hanfu is their traditional clothings. I guess that is why, although Japan has a shorter history, it has a better cultural atmosphere. It is important to get to know your own culture.