noun
kamishimo; samurai ceremonial costume
A formal Edo-period outfit consisting of a sleeveless jacket (肩衣) and matching trousers (袴), worn by samurai on official occasions.
時代劇で侍が裃を着ている場面をよく見る。
In period dramas, you often see scenes where samurai wear kamishimo.
Original meaning of the kanji 上下, now almost always read じょうげ. This reading かみしも is archaic and rarely used outside historical contexts.
古文書では「上下」を「かみしも」と読ませて、身分の上下を表すことがある。
In old documents, 上下 is sometimes read as かみしも to indicate high and low social status.
The modern standard reading for 'top and bottom, up and down'. かみしも is the archaic reading for the same kanji, now mainly used for the samurai costume.
The sleeveless jacket that forms the upper part of the kamishimo outfit.
The trousers worn as the lower part of the kamishimo, also a general term for traditional Japanese pleated trousers.
裃 is a 国字 (kokuji) combining 衣 (clothing) and 上下 (up and down), reflecting the two-piece nature of the costume. The reading かみしも comes from 上 (かみ, upper) and 下 (しも, lower), referring to the jacket and trousers.