Imperial Formal Uniform

The Imperial Formal Uniform is the standard officers' dress in the Imperial Army, the Imperial Navy and the SNLF.

In the Imperial Army, the Formal Uniform is used for most public and official functions and in working environments that call for formal dress, while the Army Combat Uniform is generally used in combat situations. Officially, the Formal Uniform may be worn by officers at all times and is even cleared for battlefield use, though practical reasons usually see Army officers wearing the ACU.

Officers in the Imperial Navy also use the Formal Uniform for official functions while wearing the Imperial Navy Working Uniform for daily use. However, officers in any kind of commanding or executive position on a ship or in a fleet are to wear the Formal Uniform at all times. The SNLF follows Army conventions for the use of the uniform, though commanding SNLF officers embarked on spaceships must wear the Formal Uniform.

The Formal Uniform consists of a black, white and cream kimono that displays the Bamboo House Mon, representative of the officers' service and loyalty to the Empress, above that to their own family. Also part of the Formal Uniform is a traditional ceremonial katana. In extremely formal and public events, the sword may be worn in any fashion so long as it is visible to observers, though the sword may be omitted at other times. There is no official headwear. Any form of respectable headwear may be worn only if necessary, though for extremely formal events senior officers may wear an ancestral kabuto.

An officer's rank is displayed prominently on a rank tab pinned just above the abdomen. It is an unspoken tradition for subordinates to bow to the level of the rank tab in respect for a superior officer.