1. How Researchers Counted Clothes on the Ginza Streets
One of the people who did this counting was Kon Wajiro. He is known for "Kogengaku" (modernology), which means studying the current state of living and towns, rather than looking at ancient ruins [1]. The survey took place in May 1925 along the street between Kyobashi and Shimbashi in Ginza, lasting for four days [2].
The results showed that about 67% of men wore Western clothes, while 33% wore Japanese-style clothes (和服, wafuku). For women, only about 1% wore Western clothes, and 99% wore Japanese-style clothes [1][2]. It is important to remember that this data is only from a specific part of Ginza, not all of Japan. The numbers also do not show that women disliked Western clothes.
This shows that many people in Ginza during the Taisho era still wore kimono. Can we say that women simply disliked Western clothes? To understand this, we need to look at how Western clothes first entered Japan.
2. How Western Clothes Began as Uniforms for Officials
Western clothes did not start as fashion choices. On November 12, 1872, the government decided that Western clothes would be the formal dress for officials at ceremonies and events [3]. This rule applied only to formal occasions. It did not force all citizens to wear Western clothes, nor did it ban kimono.
Instead, Western clothes became more common in the streets through work uniforms. A history from a cosmetics research institute notes that postal workers adopted Western uniforms in 1871, and railway workers did so in 1872 [4]. Historical records also state that police officers, postal carriers, and students began wearing Western uniforms, making them visible in daily life [1].
In schools, the Gakushuin school introduced a stiff-collared uniform in 1879. The goal was to hide the difference between rich and poor students, as there had been competition over clothing [5]. By 1886, the Imperial University used a similar stiff-collared uniform with gold buttons, which is considered one of the starting points of student uniforms [5]. Before people chose Western clothes for style, they wore them for work and school. People who worked or went to school had the chance to wear Western clothes earlier.
3. Why Western Clothes Cost So Much and Took More Than 50 Years to Spread
At first, Western clothes were very expensive luxury items. Most people continued to wear kimono [6]. It was not until the Taisho era that Western clothes became common among the general public [4].
Haircuts changed at the same pace. The custom of men cutting their hair short took until around the 1890s to spread, and ordinary men began wearing Western clothes from around the 1890s onward [1]. From the 1872 rule for officials to the 1925 Ginza survey, 53 years passed. Japan did not switch to Western clothes overnight after the Meiji Restoration. Instead, the change happened slowly over 50 years, depending on jobs and lifestyles. One reason men wore Western clothes more often is that uniforms gave them more chances to wear them at work and school.
4. How Women's Western Clothes Spread Through School and Work
Western clothes for women spread more slowly. In 1883, during the Rokumeikan era, wives of high-ranking officials wore Western dresses. However, this style, which used corsets to tighten the body, lasted only a few years [6].
In schools, around 1900, female students switched from loose kimono to "hakama," which are wide trousers worn with kimono. Students wearing dark reddish-brown hakama were called "Ebi-cha Shikibu" [5]. Hakama are not Western clothes; they are easy-to-move-in garments worn with kimono. They can also be seen as a step on the way toward Western style.
In 1920, Kyoto’s Heian Jogakuin is said to have adopted the sailor-style uniform, followed by Fukuoka Jogakuin in 1921 [5]. Fukuoka’s uniform had a separate jacket and jumper skirt, which was good for exercise. Because there is debate about which school was first, it is better to read these as records of each school.
At the same time, women working as telephone operators and nurses began wearing Western clothes. In 1929, the Tokyo City Female Teachers’ Association decided that female teachers should wear Western clothes. In 1931, the Matsuzakaya department store made all female staff in Ginza and Nagoya wear Western uniforms [7]. The same note estimates that in big cities, women in Western clothes stopped being rare in the late 1930s [7]. However, in Ginza around 1935, men still mostly wore Western clothes, while women mostly wore kimono. The two styles existed side by side [8]. Being "not rare" is a different stage from being "mainstream." Putting these together, the 1% of women in 1925 seems to reflect a time when the occasions for wearing Western clothes were still limited, rather than a dislike of them. School and work uniforms spread first, and everyday Western clothes came much later.
5. How Sewing Western Clothes at Home Became Popular After the War
In the 1950s, after World War II, there was a boom in sewing Western clothes. A personal website on the history of sewing machines states that sewing schools grew from about 2,000 schools with 200,000 students in 1949 to about 2,700 schools with 500,000 students in 1955 [9]. The number of students increased about 2.5 times in six years.
At that time, ready-made clothes sold in stores were not very common. Because of the cost, families often made everyday clothes and children’s clothes at home [9]. People also made "remade clothes" by taking apart old Western clothes or kimono fabric and restitching them. As the sewing boom and home sewing machines spread, Western clothes became everyday wear. By the mid-1950s, synthetic fibers like nylon and tetron also appeared [10]. The fact that people made Western clothes from kimono fabric shows the connection between kimono and Western fashion.
6. Did Kimono Disappear? How Kimono Were Reused
Kimono did not disappear. Kimono can be taken apart into one long piece of cloth. This process is called "araihari," where the cloth is washed and then resewn. This allows the kimono to be worn for a long time by changing the size or lining [11]. It is a bit like unraveling a sweater to knit it again, but kimono are sewn, not knitted.
Today, ceremonies like Coming-of-Age Day and weddings are the main reason people need kimono. Rental services that work with photo studios, beauty salons, and wedding halls have grown. Mail-order sales and recycling services that buy and resell kimono are also doing well, according to a market research report [12]. The difference between Western clothes and kimono lies in how they are made and cared for. Kimono continue to exist as clothes for special occasions.
According to Yano Research Institute’s estimate, the kimono retail market in 2023 was about 224 billion yen (101.4% of the previous year), compared with about 268.1 billion yen in 2018, so it has been shrinking for years [13]. However, market size is not the number of people who wear kimono. Many people rent kimono or inherit them, so a smaller market does not necessarily mean kimono became unpopular. The occasions for wearing them may have shifted from daily wear to special days.
7. How Old Family Photos Can Show Changes in Clothing
If you have old photos at home, ask your family about the year, place, and occasion, such as school, work, or celebrations. Look at when people wore kimono and when they wore Western clothes. You might find similarities or differences with the Ginza story from 1925.
If you want to read more, compare the two pages on the Asia Center for History and Archives website titled "How did men's fashion change before and after the war?" and "How did women's fashion change before and after the war?" This will help you see how the timing of changes differed for men and women.