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Japanese Colour Rules
There are many, many rules to kimono wearing in Japan, though few Japanese know the rules now and relatively few experts ever knew them all. The list is vast and the rules complex.
Some rules are better known and more adhered to than others; among them, the colour combinations worn at different times of year. Further down this blog post, below the charts of colour combinations, you can see the Japanese names for colours. The colours may display slightly differently on different monitors, so it is a rough guide.
I have a couple of representative lists for kimono color combinations but there were no color swatches, so I was left wondering about the actual shades and contrasts. This makes for a lovely visualization for one set of layers and combinations.
(via darkpuck)
Fire Nation Armor
On first glance Fire Nation armor does look influenced by Japanese Samurai armor. Said style, though, does not originate in Japan, but in China’s Tang Dynasty.
The pictures I have included show Officer’s armor from the Tang Dynasty.
The Tang Dynasty 618 to 907 CE is widely considered to be the most glorious, prosperous and influential time in the history of Imperial China. It’s influence stretched far and long, through trade via the Silk Road and across the ocean to Korea and Japan and can still be seen today. (See above). Many aspects of Korean and Japanese tradition -from clothes to art- originated in the fashions and style of that dynasty.
Chinese Armor Through the Dynasties (cool pictures!)
