kimono fabric; Japanese clothing textiles
Broadly refers to cloth used for traditional Japanese garments, especially kimono. Often encountered in the compound 呉服屋 (gofukuya, a kimono fabric shop).
あの呉服屋で上等な呉服を買った。
I bought high-quality kimono fabric at that kimono fabric shop.
I had a shop in Kyoto tailor the kimono fabric into a garment.
silk fabrics
Historically, 呉服 specifically referred to silk textiles, as opposed to 太物 (futomono), which were cotton and hemp fabrics. This distinction is now largely historical, but the term can still carry this nuance in traditional contexts.
See also: 太物
昔は呉服といえば絹織物を指し、太物とは区別されていた。
In the past, gofuku referred to silk fabrics and was distinguished from futomono (cotton/hemp goods).
This shop has dealt in kimono fabrics for generations.
呉服 refers to the woven fabric (especially silk) used to make traditional garments, while 着物 is the finished, sewn garment itself.
呉服 refers to the cloth or dry goods used to make kimono (sold at a 呉服店), whereas 和服 refers to the finished garment itself.
dry-goods dealer; draper
fabric shaku; textile shaku
kimono fabric shop; draper's
kimono fabric shop; draper's shop
dry goods; piece goods; textile piece
呉服 originally denoted textiles and weaving associated with ancient 呉 in China, whose textile workers and techniques were introduced to Japan; its meaning later narrowed chiefly to kimono cloth and clothing.