is a garment worn in
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
by people attending religious ceremonies and activities, including
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
and
Shinto
, also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...
related occasions. The is essentially a white , traditional hunting robes worn by nobles during the
Heian period.
Though both Shinto and Buddhist priests wear to rituals, laymen also occasionally wear the , such as when participating in pilgrimage such as the
Shikoku Pilgrimage. The garment is usually white or yellow, and is made of
linen
Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant.
Linen is very strong and absorbent, and it dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. Lin ...
or
silk
Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...
depending on its type and use.
Shinto priests who wear the usually wear it with a peaked
cap known as , alongside an outer tunic - the proper - an outer robe called , an undergarment known as the (lit. "unlined" or "one-layer"), ballooning trousers called or (a variant of the ), and a girdle called . A priest may also carry a ceremonial wand known as a , or another style of baton known as a .
See also
*
Glossary of Shinto
External links
Basic terms of Shinto (with illustration)
*
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Shinto religious clothing
Japanese upper-body garments
Shinto religious objects
Japanese words and phrases