Since the later Heian period, the common people had worn kosode (kimono with narrow sleeves) for going out; as the kosodes drawn emakimono (scroll with pictures) don't have tamoto (drooping part of sleeve of kimono) like normal kimono, it is considered that kosode's sleeve of those period wasn't tsutsusode.
平安時代後期からは、小袖が庶民の表着として登場するが、絵巻物に見られるそれは筒袖ではなく袂が存在していた。