YOGI~ A Sleeping Kimono

A yogi is a heavily padded kimono that is used for sleeping. It is similar to a comforter. It wouldn’t have been worn but would have been laid on top of the person like a quilt or blanket.

Yogi were elaborately decorated using shibori, tsutsugaki or katazome techniques. The images were often auspicious symbols, such as the pine tree and cranes for longevity. Bamboo, phoenix, tortoise, money purses and characters for good luck were favorite themes as well as family crests called mon.

Japanese indigo tsutsugaki-dyed quilted bridal sleeping covers are called “yogi” (literally “night wear”). They were made from 100% hand loomed cotton that was stuffed with thick cotton batting and sewn into the shape of an extra-large kimono. They were decorated with a family crests (“mon”) in a lighter shade of blue on the back side. they were quilted with white cotton thread in the traditional decorative stitch with tied tassels to secure the batting in layers.

Yogi first began to be used in the Edo period (1603-1868). Because it was a large, thick, soft robe, the yogi solved the problem of nighttime drafts by wrapping all around the sleeper. It was meant to fit tightly around the shoulders and neck, providing excellent protection against the winter cold. Considerably wider than an ordinary kimono, the yogi had an extra panel of cloth down the center of the back. They were always thickly padded with heavy cotton wadding, just like a futon.

The tsutsugaki technique involves freely drawn designs that are applied to cotton with paste resist squeezed through a paper cone having a tubular metal tip. The textile is then dipped repeatedly in indigo dyes. Where the paste lines had once been, white lines now remain, outlining the design in sharp contrast to the deep indigo blue background. Country dyers produced tsutsugaki textiles -- often with family crests or auspicious designs -- as bedding, wrapping clothes, banners and celebratory textiles for weddings, births and other important events. These tsutsugaki textiles were part of a bride’s trousseau which parents prepared for their daughter as a prayer for the well being of her new family as well as her happiness, so great care was taken in their handling as they were regarded as necessary for an auspicious future. And a yogi was alays an item of special interest in a bride’s trousseau. This is a marvelous example of Japanese folk art (“mingei”), and yogi are represented in most major mingei collections.