Apron - Apron

A rectangular piece of work cloth that covers the torso and knees to prevent clothing from getting dirty. It is tied with a string at the top. Until the mid-Edo period, the name maedare was commonly used. In some regions, it was called "medare," "meadari," "tamadare," or "hankomaedare." Related to aprons is the yumaki, which was worn by women serving nobles in the Heian period to cover their entire waist over their clothes when they bathed. Even in modern times, there are regions that use "yono" (four cloths, four scrolls), a four-panel aprons that cover the entire waist. From the Momoyama period to the mid-Edo period, three-panel or two-panel aprons are often seen in paintings. In the early modern period, the term "aka maedare" was coined, because red maedare was used by women working in the service industry, such as at restaurants, teahouses, and bathhouses, and it came to refer to the women who wore them. Materials used for aprons included linen, navy blue or brown cotton, stripes, and kasuri patterns, and merchants in particular often wore striped kimonos with striped aprons. Towards the end of the Edo period, maids in town houses began to use silk aprons for decorative purposes. In the Tohoku region, some were made with sashiko stitching to reinforce the aprons. Aprons with bib are aprons that cover the chest and have a half-width piece of cloth sewn onto both sides. In the mid-Edo period, they were called "aburaya-san" (aburaya store) aprons because they were exclusively used by young monks who worked at sake and oil stores. Nakashi aprons were made from strong Unsai cotton, with two pieces stacked diagonally, and when carrying a load on the shoulder, one piece was placed over the shoulder that was holding the load to protect it.

Nowadays, most are single-panel scrolls, but Western-style aprons, salon maekake, kappogi (cooking apron), and sleeveless aprons, which were used from the end of the Meiji period, are in their heyday and have spread to rural areas as well.

[Kazuko Okano]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

衣服の汚れを防ぐため、胴から膝(ひざ)の前を覆う作業用の長方形の布。上部に紐(ひも)をつけて結ぶ。江戸中期までは前垂れの名称が一般に用いられた。地方によっては「めだれ」「めあだり」「たまえだれ」「はんこまえだれ」などといわれた。前掛けにかかわりのあるものに湯巻があり、これは平安時代の貴人入浴の際、奉仕する女性が衣服の上から腰全体を覆ったものである。近代でも「よーの」（四布(よの)、四幅）という腰全体を覆う四幅前掛けを用いる地方がある。桃山時代から江戸中期にかけては、三幅、二幅ものが絵画などに多くみられる。近世になって赤前垂れということばが生まれたが、それは、料理屋、茶屋、湯女(ゆな)などの接客業の女性が、赤い色の前垂れを用いたためで、これを着用した女性をさす名称ともなった。前掛けの材料には麻布や、紺、茶木綿、縞(しま)、絣(かすり)などが用いられ、とくに商人は縞の着物に縞の前垂れ姿が多かった。江戸末期になると、町家の下女などが絹布のものを装飾的に用いるようになった。東北地方では補強を兼ねて、刺子(さしこ)を施したものもつくられた。胸当て付き前垂れは、胸から覆った前掛けで、両脇(わき)に半幅の布を縫い足してある。江戸中期の酒屋、油屋などの小僧たちが専用したので「油屋さん」といわれた。中仕(なかし)前垂れはじょうぶな雲斎(うんさい)木綿を用い、二枚を斜めに重ねてつくり、荷物を肩に担ぐとき、荷のあたる肩に、その一枚をかけて保護した。

　今日では一幅物がほとんどで、また明治末期から用いられた洋風のエプロン、サロン前掛けや、割烹着(かっぽうぎ)、袖(そで)なし前掛けなどが全盛となり、農山村にも浸透している。

［岡野和子］

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