View source for Yukata

{{short description|Casual summer kimono}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Infobox clothing type
| name          = {{nihongo||浴衣|'''yukata'''}}
| image_file    = Himeji Yukata Matsuri 2009p1 006.jpg
| image_size    = 
| caption       = Men's and women's {{transliteration|ja|yukata}}
| type          = Casual summer [[kimono]]
| material      = 
| location      = Japan
| manufacturer  = 
| url           = 
}}
A {{nihongo3|{{lit|bathrobe}}|浴衣|'''yukata'''}} is an unlined cotton summer [[kimono]],<ref name=JGuide>{{cite web |url=https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2103.html |title=Yukata |website=www.japan-guide.com |access-date=2018-04-26 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920014436/http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2103.html |archive-date=2017-09-20}}</ref> worn in casual settings such as [[bon festival|summer festivals]] and to nearby bathhouses. The name is translated literally as "bathing cloth" and {{transliteration|ja|yukata}} originally were worn as bathrobes; their modern use is much broader, and are a common sight in Japan during summer. Though {{transliteration|ja|yukata}} are traditionally [[indigo]] and white in colour, modern {{transliteration|ja|yukata}} commonly feature multicoloured designs, and are designed to be machine washable. They are similar in appearance to the {{transliteration|ja|[[nemaki]]}}, a unisex short-sleeved kimono-like garment worn by guests at traditional inns.

==Techniques and textiles==
Yukata are made using various textiles and dyeing techniques. Traditionally they were made with a technique called [[Nagaita-Chugata]], where fabric was dyed on both sides with stencils.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Inside the Atelier; Matsubara Nobuo |url=https://www.motoji.co.jp/blogs/information/inside-the-atelier-matsubara-nobuo |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=銀座もとじオンラインショップ |language=ja}}</ref> As this technique is expensive, a technique called [[Chusen]] was developed in the late Edo period to replicate the double sided cloth.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.meti.go.jp/english/press/2023/1026_001.html | title=New Designation of Tokyo Honzome Chusen as Traditional Craft under the Act on the Promotion of Traditional Craft Industries | website=www.meti.go.jp | date=2023-10-26}}</ref>

==Construction and wear==
{{transliteration|ja|Yukata}} are worn by men and women. Like other forms of traditional [[Japanese clothing]], {{transliteration|ja|yukata}} are made with straight seams and wide sleeves. Men's {{transliteration|ja|yukata}} are distinguished by the shorter sleeve extension of approximately {{convert|10|cm}} from the armpit seam, compared to the longer {{convert|20|cm}} sleeve extension in women's {{transliteration|ja|yukata}}. A standard {{transliteration|ja|yukata}} ensemble consists of a {{transliteration|ja|yukata}} {{transliteration|ja|[[Obi (sash)|obi]]}}, and [[sandal]]s or [[geta (footwear)|geta]] worn without [[sock]]s. The outfit may be accessorised with a foldable or fixed [[hand fan]] and the addition of a traditional carry bag known as a {{transliteration|ja|[[kinchaku]]}}, used by both men and women to carry cellphones and other small personal items.

As with all kimono, the left side of the {{transliteration|ja|yukata}} (the wearer's right) is wrapped over the right side (the wearer's left), and secured with either a stiff, one-layer {{transliteration|ja|obi}}, or a softer, also one-layer {{transliteration|ja|obi}}. An outer jacket may be added for cool weather.<ref name=JGuide/>

Traditionally, {{transliteration|ja|yukata}} were mostly made of [[Indigo dye|indigo]]-dyed cotton; however, since an increase in popularity in the late 1990s, a wide variety of colours and designs are now available, worn by both men and women.<ref name=JGuide/>

==Customs==
<gallery mode=packed heights=180px widths=240px>
File:温泉たまご (46347383121).jpg|A family in {{transliteration|ja|yukata}} in an {{transliteration|ja|onsen}} town
File:A Japanese lady wearing a Yukata.jpg|A Japanese woman wearing a ''yukata''
File:Yukata tokyo.JPG|Women in {{transliteration|ja|yukata}}
File:Yukata, Shibu Hotel (4424277299).jpg|Folded {{transliteration|ja|yukata}} and {{transliteration|ja|[[Obi (sash)|obi]]}} at Shibu Hotel in [[Yamanouchi, Nagano]]
File:Endo Shimpei LACMA M.84.31.296.jpg|''Endō Shimpei'', 1887 woodblock print by [[Tsukioka Yoshitoshi]]
File:Summer Kimono (Yukata) with Illustrations from the 1802 novel 'Hizakurige' (Shank's Mare) by Ikku Jipensha (1765-1831) LACMA M.2006.37.6 (5 of 9).jpg|19th-century {{transliteration|ja|yukata}} at [[LACMA]] with illustrations from ''Hizakurige'' by [[Jippensha Ikku]]
</gallery>

Though historically, {{transliteration|ja|yukata}} were worn traditionally as a bathrobe all-year round, in the present day this is uncommonly seen, and is mainly confined to {{transliteration|ja|[[onsen]]}} resort towns such as [[Atami]], [[Kinosaki]] and [[Kusatsu Onsen|Kusatsu]], where {{transliteration|ja|yukata}} are still worn as bathrobes, commonly given to guests as part of their stay at a specific hotel or inn.<ref>{{cite web |title=How to Wear a Yukata |url=https://visitkinosaki.com/faqs-visitor-info/guides/yukata/ |website=Visit Kinosaki |access-date=2018-10-18 |date=2018-03-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=How to Stay at a Ryokan: Dress (Yukata) |url=https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2029_dress.html |website=www.japan-guide.com |access-date=2018-10-17}}</ref>
{{clear}}

==See also==
* {{transliteration|ja|[[Samue]]}}
* {{transliteration|ja|[[Jinbei]]}}

==References==
{{Reflist|1}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category inline}}
*{{Wiktionary-inline|浴衣|yukata}}

{{Folk costume}}
{{Japanese clothing}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Dresses]]
[[Category:Japanese full-body garments]]
[[Category:Robes and cloaks]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Japanese words and phrases]]