Demon Slayeris set in historical Japan, the Taisho Era to be exact, somewhere between 1912 and 1926.Western fashionhad only just begun to influence style, and many people continued to wear traditional clothes even while others began to switch. Most of the characters inDemon Slayerwear haori or kimono, each with their own distinct pattern.
What you may not have realized is that there are meanings behind the patterns that some main characters are wearing! Many of these patterns are very old, and have historical meanings and context in Japan. The patterns are now so associated with each character that seeing merchandise with just that color and pattern is enough for fans to recognize which character it represents without the character’s face even needing to be there. But do you know what those patterns mean in Japanese culture?
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Tanjiro Kamado
The best place to start is with the main character, Tanjiro Kamado, and his instantly recognizable green and black checkered haori. In Japanese, this checkboard pattern is called “ichimatsu,” after a famous Kabuki performer who made it famous in the 1700s.
Ichimatsu symbolizes prosperity for your family and longevity. It makes sense that Tanjiro wears this pattern, since caring for his sister Nezuko is most important to him - and he willnever forget his family, his driving motivation.
Nezuko Kamado
Tanjiro’s sister, Nezuko, wears a pink hemp leaf pattern kimono (called “asanoha” in Japanese) and a red and white ichimatsu patterned obi, or belt. Because hemp leaves grow quickly and are durable, they representgrowth and health for children.
Considering Nezuko’s fate turned into a demon, she needs all the help she can get to hopefully grow up into a normal woman some day, and overcome her curse.
Zenitsu Agatsuma
Tanjiro’s friend, Zenitsu, wears a haori with yellow and white triangles, which are actually a scale pattern called “urokomon” in Japanese. Urokomon is meant to protect the wearer from evil and curses. Scale patterns were often worn by samurai believing it would keep them from harm.
Considering howterrified Zenitsu is of demons, it tracks logically that he would choose to wear this pattern. Plus, the yellow colour likely is significant to his lightning powers!
The Hashira
As for the rest of the Hashira, their clothing seems to be based purely on their powers, such as Rengoku having fire on his cape asthe Flame Hashira, and Shinobu a butterfly pattern on her haori as the Insect Hashira. It is a little disappointing that their designs did not continue to follow a more traditional, deeper meaning like Tanjiro, Nezuko, and Zenitsu, but it does make it easy to know which Hashira is which due to that design choice. It would be interesting to see how Tanjiro and Zenitsu’s haori would change if they were given the same treatment in the future!
One of the most interesting things about the patterns seen inDemon Slayeris that they are still alive and well in Japan today, and still used in traditional clothing. Of course, they have become even more popular withDemon Slayer’s success, but even before the anime became a bit they were still used in haori, kimono, and yukata, as well as smaller things like handkerchiefs, bags, and masks. Those who are interested in history and traditional clothing know the meanings that have been around for decades now -Demon Slayerhas just brought them back into the public eye.
Take a walk down a shopping street in cultural cities like Kyoto or Kanazawa, or areas of Tokyo like Asakusa, and you will see the patterns fromDemon Slayereverywhere. When ichimatsu is green and black or urokomon is yellow and white, of course it looks like the character more than anything else - and that is definitely intentional, capitalizing on the popularity ofDemon Slayerwithout having to pay any royalties by using a character’s image, since these traditional patterns are not copyrighted by anyone. But you can also find these same patterns in many other colors, too, and even non-anime fans continue to enjoy them today.
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