Formality Series: Tsukesage
Tsukesage, a semi-formal kimono that sometimes doesn’t nearly get enough attention and is sometimes a little bit overshadowed by its slightly more formal sister Houmongi. The understated elegance of the design that sits between the seams has a special something, if you know what I mean.
Today I’ll be diving a little more into this formality type and what one wears with a tsukesage kimono.
Kimono: Tsukesage
Tsukesage to me is almost its half-sister of the slightly more formal houmongi. They look and are very similar in formality but each is slightly different. Typical of tsukesage is its design on the skirt that stays within the panels with the exception of the okumi on the front and sometimes the side seam.
Because these two formalities are nearly identical, it’s not uncommon for a kimono to have traits of both and can become a bit difficult to pinpoint to which category it belongs to.
What I personally found helpful is looking at the overall size of the design when I come across such a kimono. If it has a bigger design/the design is less scattered but more fluid, I call it a Houmongi. If it has a smaller design / the design is more scattered, I call it a Tsukesage. One of my hikizuri is such an example:Click here !
Komon-Tsukesage hybrids can be found too. They still have an all-over design but the placement of it is denser at the hem of the kimono. One of my men’s kimono has a design that looks a little like it, however, I would call it a komon-houmongi hybrid rather than komon-tsukesage hybrid due to the flow of the design that is more houmongi-like. These hybrids will not be as formal as a regular tsukesage, in my opinion, they’re more at the edokomon-iromuji level. (Click here !)
Tsukesage can have 0, 1 or 3 kamon which can be either dyed or embroidered onto it.
Just like any other formality aside yukata, they can come in lined, unlined and summer weave weights.
Obi:
What obi you wear with the tsukesage depends entirely on what it looks like. Generally, a Fukuro obi or Formal Nagoya obi are worn. The number of kamon should also be taken into account when choosing an obi.
Fukuro obi for tsukesage don’t necessarily need to be fully gold or silver, as long as they have some metallics in them and match your tsukesage, you’re good to go.
Formal Nagoya obi are Nagoya obi that have metallic threads in them, they’re not as formal as fukuro obi but are considered a step up from regular woven/dyed Nagoya obi so they’re a nice middle ground between the two.
If your tsukesage has a rather small or casual design, you could opt for a dyed Nagoya obi instead of a formal Nagoya obi too, it’s entirely up to you.
Obiage:
The most common choice for obiage are rinzu and chirimen. Gradation dyed or solid are both okay. When making a decision about what obiage to wear, it’s best to keep the size/flow of its design as well as the amount of kamon in mind.
Although it didn’t say in the book, if your Tsukesage has tree kamon, an obiage with some degree of shibori should be acceptable to wear too. I would avoid full shibori or the ones with a blank space in the middle but the ones with a bit of shibori here and there should be okay, especially considering that shibori is seen as formal.
Obijime:
For obijime, you would want some degree of silver/gold present. Not fully silver or gold but if your obijime contains some gold/silver or other metallic threads, you’re good to go. Fishbone weave or the fancy type of obijime that are typically worn with houmongi are a great choice too.
Coloured obijime (not just white/gold/silver) are perfectly acceptable as well.
Nagajuban:
Nagajuban with a light colour, any light colour really, is considered to be ideal to wear with Tsukesage. They’re not entirely formal but still are a good choice considering its semi-formal status. Some nagajuban may have a light background colour but a coloured design, especially with slightly more casual Tsukesage or ones without any kamon, just wear them.
Han’eri wise, it’s best to stick with just white. A light coloured embroidery on it is acceptable but it depends on the overall formality of tsukesage itself, its design and the amount of kamon basically.
I would avoid using han’eri with big and bold designs though.
Hadajuban/susoyoke:
As always, these should be white if you do wear them.
Tabi:
Same goes for the tabi, only fully white tabi are worn with Tsukesage.
Footwear:
For footwear, a pair of zori that has a light coloured base and matching hanao is preferred. They don’t need to be fully gold or silver but having a pair that does contain some metallics/silver/gold are acceptable to wear as well.
The colour of the zori should be matching to the tsukesage itself.
(Zori on loan and belong to C. van Alphen)
All the info for this series comes from this book:
“Kimono no Kihon. Kitsuke to Obimusubi”.
ISBN: 9784072623329
Remember that the information in this book is really hardcore traditional and not everyone is willing to go that far or needs to get the details down perfectly. Most of us don’t go to events where the formality is so strictly adhered to.
Use what you have and don’t forget to have fun while wearing kimono.
Thank you so much for reading!
Love,
Youandi
Chayatsuji Kimono
Chayatsuji Kimono