Kimono Room
In Edo Japan, sumptuary law dictated the cloth one could wear by caste. Here, your robe is earned twice over — by the verses you link and by the rank of your membership. Choose the robe your name will carry through the house.
Townsperson · 町人
Chōnin
Plain indigo cotton with subtle stripes. Understated and free to all who enter.
Sumptuary law barred merchants from silk and bright dyes. From this restraint grew 'iki' — the quiet chic of indigo cotton.
Artisan · 工
Shokunin
Earthy patterned cotton bearing a craftsman's motif.
Artisans could wear modest repeating patterns woven into cotton, but never imported silk.
Samurai · 侍
Bushi
Dignified dark silk with a single family crest.
Only the warrior class could bear a family crest (kamon) upon formal silk and hakama.
Court Noble · 公家
Kuge
Luxurious layered silk in plum and moss with gold accents.
Layered silks, gold thread and seasonal patterns were forbidden to commoners entirely.
Forbidden Colours · 禁色
Kinjiki
Imperial purple and vermilion silk embroidered with golden phoenixes.
'Kinjiki' — the forbidden colours. Deep purple and vermilion were reserved for the very highest rank, on pain of punishment.
Rise in rank
Membership grants immediate access to finer robes. Or keep to the Wanderer's path and earn every thread through your verses. Cancel anytime.
Tier 0
Wanderer
Free
A traveller of the open road. Earn your robes through verse alone.
Tier 1
Poet
$5/mo
Take a seat in the house. Unlock the artisan's cloth at once.
Tier 2
Master
$12/mo
A recognised hand. Don the crested silk of the samurai.
Tier 3
Sensei
$25/mo
Elder of the house. All robes, even the forbidden colours, are yours.
Enter the house to choose your robe.