Fine pattern

小紋 komon

Fine pattern

Not one motif but the family of tiny all-over repeats (same, gyōgi, tōshi and others) first worn on samurai formal dress; it reads as plain from afar, so it is quietly elegant.

Late Muromachi period; flourished in Edo (1603–1868)

Komon are tiny repeats stencil-dyed with rice-paste resist through paper katagami, many cut in Shiroko and Jike in Ise. Paintings show komon workshops thriving by the late Muromachi period. In Edo, daimyō houses each adopted a fine 'fixed pattern' (sadame-gara) for their kamishimo, so retainers could be identified by it; the Edo 'three' (same, gyōgi, kaku-dōshi) became formal. Townspeople, restricted by sumptuary edicts, embraced subtle komon too, giving the name Edo komon.

Edo komon is a designated traditional craft of Tokyo and is worn as semi-formal kimono.

Technique catalog · draft for review

Every way to wrap, carry and wear a furoshiki.

The furoshiki.com archive, sliced into annotated steps with plain directions, plus techniques found in research.