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The Mo [ ja] (裳) is an ornament worn at the back of the waist in women's fine kimono. It is a cloth that is trailed from the waist to the back. It is sometimes used in the Urayasu dance and in Kagura and other Shinto rituals.

Plants and pine trees are drawn on a white background, and a long, thin piece of cloth with stitching is drawn on each side.

Heian period to Azuchi–Momoyama period (794–1600)

During the Heian period (794–1193 CE), Japan stopped sending envoys to the Chinese dynastic courts. This prevented Chinese-imported goods—including clothing—from entering the Imperial Palace. This also prevented dissemination to the upper classes, who were the main arbiters of traditional Japanese culture at the time, and the only people allowed to wear such clothing.^{[ citation needed]} The ensuing cultural vacuum facilitated the development of a Japanese culture independent from Chinese fashions. Elements previously lifted from the Tang Dynastic courts developed independently into what is known literally as "national culture" or "kokufū culture" (国風文化, kokufū-bunka). The term is used to refer to Heian-period Japanese culture, particularly that of the upper classes. ^[1]

Women's clothing in the imperial palace became increasingly stylized in the formal jūnihitoe, with some elements being abandoned by both male and female courtiers, such as the round-necked and tube-sleeved chun ju jacket worn by both genders in the early 7th century. Others, such as the wrapped front robes also worn by men and women, were kept. Some elements, such as the mo skirt worn by women, continued to in a reduced capacity, worn only to formal occasions; the mо̄ [ ja] (裳) grew too narrow to wrap all the way around and became a trapezoidal pleated train. ^[2] Hakama (trousers) became longer than the legs and also trailed behind the wearer. ^[3]

During the later Heian period, various clothing edicts reduced the number of layers a woman could wear, leading to the kosode ( lit. 'small sleeve') garment—previously considered underwear—becoming outerwear by the time of the Muromachi period (1336–1573 CE). Originally worn with hakama, the kosode began to be held closed with a small belt known as an obi instead. The kosode resembled a modern kimono, though at this time the sleeves were sewn shut at the back and were smaller in width (shoulder seam to cuff) than the body of the garment. During the Sengoku period (1467–1615) and the Azuchi–Momoyama period (1568–1600), the decoration of the kosode developed further, with bolder designs and flashy colours becoming popular. By this time, separate lower-body garments, such as the mō and hakama, were almost never worn, ^[3] allowing full-length patterns to be seen.

References