Any Japanese person here?

[NiQuinn]

This will be totally random but I wanted to ask why a hanten is rather plain whereas a haori can have such colorful designs. Is there a particular reason for that?

 

[tofu_moon]

That would require a Japanese history buff to answer, luckily I am one! The main difference between a haori and a hanten is that a haori has a collar, and of course, more colorful designs. That’s because the haori was something noble/rich Japanese wore as more ‘official’ wear, like the suits we wear nowadays, while a hanten was what the commoners wore starting from the Edo period, thus the difference in variety of designs. Today, haori is usually worn over a kimono while hantens are worn by salespeople or as a thicker relaxation wear called ちゃんちゃん(very comfy in the winter btw, I recommend it.) The lines between hanten and haori were blurred in the Edo period with a law that made haori’s illegal in the Edo period, which caused the confusion between the two as people blurred the lines to circumvent the rule.

TLDR: Hanten is more work/casual, haori is more formal, ergo the colorful designs

hope this helped!

 

[NiQuinn]

That would require a Japanese history buff to answer, luckily I am one! The main difference between a haori and a hanten is that a haori has a collar, and of course, more colorful designs. That’s because the haori was something noble/rich Japanese wore as more ‘official’ wear, like the suits we wear nowadays, while a hanten was what the commoners wore starting from the Edo period, thus the difference in variety of designs. Today, haori is usually worn over a kimono while hantens are worn by salespeople or as a thicker relaxation wear called ちゃんちゃん(very comfy in the winter btw, I recommend it.) The lines between hanten and haori were blurred in the Edo period with a law that made haori’s illegal in the Edo period, which caused the confusion between the two as people blurred the lines to circumvent the rule.

TLDR: Hanten is more work/casual, haori is more formal, ergo the colorful designs

hope this helped!

Ooooh thanks for that! Didn't even cross my mind that it was a class issue. I've always wanted a hanten and my best friend who lives in Japan told me she was getting me one being that it was nearing winter and the stores are now selling an abundance of it.

 

[tofu_moon]

Ooooh thanks for that! Didn't even cross my mind that it was a class issue. I've always wanted a hanten and my best friend who lives in Japan told me she was getting me one being that it was nearing winter and the stores are now selling an abundance of it.

No problem! That sounds great! The classic thing to do in Japan’s to wear a hanten/chanchan and cozy up in a kotatsu(heated table) while eating oranges, I’ve experienced it once and it felt like melting(>e<)

btw if your friend’s sending you a hanten I recommend you try this as well. (https://www.kao.co.jp/megrhythm/eye/en/) it’s a hot eye mask that feels AMAZING for soothing tired eyes. So glad I was able to help!

 

[Queenfisher]

No problem! That sounds great! The classic thing to do in Japan’s to wear a hanten/chanchan and cozy up in a kotatsu(heated table) while eating oranges, I’ve experienced it once and it felt like melting(>e<)

btw if your friend’s sending you a hanten I recommend you try this as well. (https://www.kao.co.jp/megrhythm/eye/en/) it’s a hot eye mask that feels AMAZING for soothing tired eyes. So glad I was able to help!

Why is this thread is so random and I am almost sure the information here will never come truly useful to me yet I am still so happy to have found this? ^^

Enjoyed reading about it!

(There need to be more threads like this, they're just so good )