---
node: garment_junihitoe
type: garment
slug: junihitoe
title: "Jūnihitoe"
lead: "The jūnihitoe is the formal court dress of Heian-era noblewomen — a set of many unlined silk robes layered so their colored edges show at collar, sleeve, and hem. Its popular name means twelve layers, though the actual number varied."
published: 2026-08-09
updated: 2026-08-09
image_file: junihitoe.jpg
image_source: "https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Empress_Nagako-1926.jpg"
image_author: "宮内省 (Imperial Household Agency)"
image_license: "Public domain"
---

## Overview

The jūnihitoe (literally twelve layers) is the grandest women's costume of the Heian court, built from several unlined robes (uchiki) worn over a kosode and hakama, topped by a formal jacket (karaginu) and a trailing train (mo). The art lay less in any single robe than in the graded harmonies of color revealed where the layers overlapped.

## How it is worn

Robes are put on one over another so each shows a band of color at the neckline, cuff, and hem; the seasonal combinations, called kasane no irome, were named for flowers and plants and judged as a mark of taste. The karaginu jacket sits on top and the pleated mo ties at the back, making the full ensemble heavy and reserved for the most formal occasions.

## History

It took shape in the tenth and eleventh centuries, after Japan ended official missions to Tang China and court dress developed a national style. Everyday aristocratic dress later simplified, but the jūnihitoe survived as ceremonial wear and is still worn by women of the imperial family for enthronements and weddings.