type of informal katakana worn in the Edo period(edokomon)
A dyed fabric in which a pattern so fine that it appears plain at first glance is repeatedly pattern-dyed in one direction and in one color. The roots of this technique date back to the Muromachi period (1333-1573), and from the beginning of the Edo period (1603-1867), it was used for kamishimo (formal dress for samurai). By the mid-Edo period, it had spread to the townspeople, and was worn by people of all genders and statuses. Plain, detailed patterns are characteristic of Edo komon, but commoners also used patterns based on motifs such as four-character idioms, idiomatic phrases, flowers, and vegetables. Today, it is suitable for casual fashionable wear, but it can also be worn on formal occasions if the pattern is of high rank, which was used for kamishimo, or “komon sanyaku (or goyaku),” or if it has a crest.
