
Originally, "kimono" was the Japanese word for clothing. But in more
recent years, the word has been used to refer specifically to
traditional Japanese clothing. Kimonos as we know them today came into
being during the Heian period (794-1192).
From the Nara period (710-794) until then, Japanese people typically
wore either ensembles consisting of separate upper and lower garments
(trousers or skirts), or one-piece garments. But in the Heian period, a
new kimono-making technique was developed. Known as the
straight-line-cut method, it involved cutting pieces of fabric in
straight lines and sewing them together. With this technique, kimono
makers did not have to concern themselves with the shape of the wearer's
body.