My Happy Marriage is a gorgeous historical and romantic anime. It is rich with ancient Japanese culture and tradition. Apart from this, the characters wear beautiful kimonos with different patterns. In light of this, what kimonos do they use in My Happy Marriage?
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The Important Symbolism of Kimonos in My Happy Marriage
Kimonos show the richness of Japanese historical designs and art, which date back to the 8th century. It comes in different patterns and forms and is also known as "wagara", which has hidden meanings inspired by nature.
In My Happy Marriage, characters such as Miyo and Kaya have different kimonos, largely due to their standing in the family and in society.
Their kimonos have a huge contrast to each other, which is obviously shown in the patterns.
On the other hand, the male characters, such as Kiyoka and Kouji, have very simple kimonos accentuated with accessories that represent their rank in society.
But often, these two men only wear casual kimonos that have been popular throughout the years.
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Miyo Saimori’s Kimono
Miyo usually wears a kimono with a striped geometric pattern when she is still living in the Saimori household.
The striped kimono comes in different names, but in Miyo Saimori’s case, her kimono almost looks like a Bojima kimono (straight stripes). This kimono has thick vertical stripes that are equally spaced.
It is said that Miyo’s kimono doesn’t have floral and/or animal designs due to her life of servitude under her own family.
Her kimono doesn’t need to be grand, given her poor social standing in society. Hence, it was only right for Miyo to have a casual kimono with a simple geometric pattern.
When Miyo was sent to the Kudou household, her father bought her a Tachibana kimono. This kimono sometimes referred to as "mikan" or "satsuma," is said to bring long life and healthy offspring to its wearer.
Interestingly, Miyo’s father chose this for his daughter even though he doesn’t want to have anything to do with her anymore.
Furthermore, Kiyoka bought a kimono with a cherry blossom pattern for Miyo.
In Japan, the sakura flowers represent a person’s kindness, softness, and acceptance of the transcendence of beauty.
What’s more, the sakura blossoms also represent new beginnings as well as the impertinence of life.
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Kaya Saimori’s Kimono
Unlike Miyo, Kaya is the pampered daughter of the Saimori household. This only means that she gets to wear kimonos with beautiful patterns, which represent her social standing. She wears a kimono with large peony patterns complemented by large butterflies.
The peony-patterned kimonos are worn by ideal women, and they represent love, good luck, prosperity, and high honor.
The peonies are also said to be a protective force for the wearer, which is obviously the case for Kaya, having been protected and spoiled by her family as she grew up.
On the other hand, the large butterflies in Kaya’s kimono represent evolution, good fortune, and, of course, femininity.
During her marriage meeting with Kouji Tatsuishi, Kaya also wore a peony-patterned kimono, accentuated with large fans and a flowing river.
The river represents continuity and the future, while the large fans symbolize prosperity and good luck.
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Yurie’s Kimono
Yurie, the trusted servant of the Kiyoka household, wears a very simple kimono without patterns. It is called an "iromuji kimono", a type of kimono dyed with a solid color worn by either married or unmarried women.
The iromuji kimono also represents simplicity, which complements Yurie’s life.
This type of kimono is often worn at Japanese tea ceremonies, in the belief that the focus should be on the ceremony rather than the kimono itself.
Most of the time, the iromuji appears discrete to the eyes, but it can also be accentuated with different obi accessories.
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Kanoko Saimori’s Kimono
Kanoko Saimori wears a black kimono with an auburn-like gradient at the ends. It also has huge butterfly patterns, just like Kaya Saimori’s usual kimono.
Her kimono almost looks like a "Kurotomesode", which is said to be worn by married women and/or mothers of the bride or groom during weddings.
However, since the kimono’s color is black, the Kurotomesode is forbidden to be worn in front of the emperor due to its representation of death, sorrow, and misfortune.
Kanoko also wears another black kimono with red camellias and autumn leaves.
The red camellias represent love, while the autumn leaves convey a sense of the season as well as the taste and feel of autumn.
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