There have been no real garments found before the Asuka period (552-646 AD) Earlier descriptions are mere guesses or interpretations from some pottery images. Here is what is commonly believed:
Jomon Period (Before 300 AD) Hunter/Gatherers
The images on pottery seem to indicate close fitting trousers, and short upper garments with tubular sleeves, loosely belted with rope. These may have had either embroidered or painted curvilinear designs, and were possibly made of hemp. There was no distinction between male and female clothing.
Yayoi Period�Agrarian Society
With the development of rice cultivation, the inhabitants of Japan probably wore better clothes for bending and stretching. An early Chinese historical account in the Wei Chih claimed men wore unsewn fabric wrapped around their bodies and the women wore poncho type garments with a hole cut for the head. Scholars argue that this crude account is very unreliable and biased due to cultural prejudices.
Yamato Period (250-552/ 300-550 A.D.) There have been many artifacts found in tombs including statuettes guarding the graves (Haniwa). From these we derived details of Yamato clothing. Dress consisted of two pieces, an upper and lower piece. The upper piece had a front opening with close cut sleeves. On the lower part of the body, the men wore loose trousers, and the women wore a pleated skirt (mo). One source said that during this period Chinese settlers taught the art of raising silk worms and that they had no skills or techniques for dyeing clothes, so the silk fabric remained white. I don't know if this is to be believed, since I did not find it elsewhere. Besides, silk takes many dyes beautifully and it seems hard to believe they did not realize this quickly.
Asuka (552-646/ 550-710 A.D.) and Nara (646-794/710-792 A.D.) During these periods Missions to China brought back Buddhism and Confucianism. Adapted many of the customs and styles of the Chinese culture including the system of codes regulating different ranks and the sumptuary laws (clothing styles and colors) these entailed. During the Asuka and Nara periods sewing methods developed more, and clothing became longer and wider. Courtier's clothes were divided into three groups: formal clothes, court clothes and uniforms, the colors varying with rank. Upper class clothing styles were Chinese, with men wearing a loose upper garment, slit on both sides, with a stand up collar and pants with sash to hold them up, and women wear a short upper garment and a long flowing skirt. Common people still wore the costume of the earlier period, however it took on some more "kimono"-like attributes�looser, and tied with a sash. Women often wore a short undergarment and a skirt and their robes were tied right to left.
Heian Period (794-897/792-1192 A.D.) Heian-kyo - Capital of peace and tranquility (later became Kyoto) One family of courtiers gained power and influence (Fujiwara) and after 894 communication with China was suspended. Japan really began to develop her own artistic style. Luxury and sumptuousness was the order of the day.
Many of the key garments were developed at this time:
Sokutai= Long trailing robes worn by courtiers with large sleeves (osode) that were completely open at the end.
Kosode= Worn under the sokutai, it has smaller sleeves.
Juni-hito=Literally means 12 layers, but could be anything from 10-25. The layered color pattern reflected many themes�.seasons, directions, virtues, and elements of the earth as they related to spirits of nature.
Noshi=Less formal court wear, like the sokutai, but without various ornaments of rank, thereby making movement freer. The Bukan-Sokutai were warrior's Court clothes. The Uneme was a Lady in Waiting's outfit. The Kariginu was a hunting outfit; sleeves were narrower and attached by sewing under the arm, but not on top of the shoulder. They had cords at the end of the sleeves to draw them up if necessary.
The Suikan= shorter and less formal, worn by lower classes as a visiting outfit, or as a uniform for those who served nobles.Toward the end of the period, it was the standard dress of warriors. Merchants also wore suikan with a stand-up collar tied on the rightand an early type of hakima.
Women's kimonos were shortened by raising and tying in place.
Hakama are a pair of pleated pants worn under or over a kimono. Hakama are worn today on formal occasions, and are also used in the practice of the traditional martial arts such as Aikido, Kendo (fencing) and archery. In the martial arts, it is said that the seven pleats of a hakama represent the seven virtues of bushido which are:
1.Gi --the right decision
2.Yu -- bravery
3.Jin -- universal love, benevolence toward mankind; compassion
4.Rei -- right action, courtesy
5.Makoto -- sincerity, truthfulness
6.Meiyo -- honor
7.Chugi -- devotion, loyalty
Men wore their hair in top knots of varied shape and wore many types of hats. Women's hair was favored long, straight, and black, and was worn loose and flowing to the floor.
Kamakura (Shogunate) Period (1185-1333) As a reaction to the extreme impracticallity of the clothing of the previous period, clothes were modified to be more simple, frugal, and easy to move in to fit the more active lifestyle of the Samurai. Everyday warriors wore the kitatare and hakima with the cords by which the sleeves and legs could be drawn up and enable movement. For a general's ceremonial dress, the yoroi hitatare (less full sleeves) was worn with short pants and leggings. The women's outfit consisted of merely the kiosode , with the end of the sleeve now sewn up, and red hakima.
Askikaga (shogunate) Period (1338-1568) Also warriors. Still wanting to reject the luxurious style of court, the contributed the suo and the daimon robes. Both closely related to the hitatare, with the main difference being the type of fabric used (cheaper linen instead of silk). The diamon also bore 5 family crests (kamon). This style spread through all levels and still exsists today. The kosode was still the main female garment, but they added a uchikake, which was a long outer robe. Common people also began wearing the dobuku, (short coat) and this style traveled up the status chain.
Edo Period (1601-1867 A.D.) I will not be going into much detail since the Edo period is out of the standard timeframe of SCA research. However: During this period, commerce and industry developed rapidly. Merchants began to have more power than the Samurai. Better dyeing techniques were developed. The "Yuuzen" dyeing technique (a dye-resist dyeing process) was developed and became popular because any color could be used and could dye many different complex patterns such as flowers and birds. Kimono were now made of multicolored, highly decorated fabric, and were worn in a single layer. The belt, or obi, which until this time period was tied in the front, was now tied in the back.