Doura (body lining)

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Doura is a kind of back fabric of kimono, which is used in the area near the body. You can image that there is hakkake around doura

Compared to hakkake which can be seen from front, doura cannot be seen from front, so not the look but the functionality is made much of. Generally, habutae, which is solf and smooth, is used for doura. However, polyester doura should be used for polyester kimono because it cannot be washed, which is a special feature of washable kimono. Sometimes cheap and strong cotton doura is used for making tsumugi and casual komon.

Doura is basically white, but sometimes colored or patterned doura is used, which is a “hidden fashion”.

Sometimes doura of old kimono is discolored unevenly. This is because the old glue used for doura got discolored. The original color cannot be restored.
Please don’t worry about discoloring because now the quality of glue is better than before and this symptom doesn’t appear in the new doura. Unlike mold, glue won’t spread soon. But you will be worried about keeping your kimono whose front fabric is closely attached to the glue which might get discolored. It is recommended that you should replace doura of your precious kimono.

Hakkake

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Hakkake is a kind of back fabric of kimono, which is used in the area near the edge of a lined kimono. Different from European clothes, you can see Hakkake exposed a little from the front. This is for protecting edges of kimono which are easy to get worn. Hakkake of hems and cuffs will get worn first.

Old Hakkake will be replaced with a new one at a specialty store. Several kinds of fabric will be used for Hakkake: general fabric for Hakkake, self fabric and special fabric for front. There is a custom that self fabric is used for formal kimono. Both the self fabric and another fabric are used in other kimonos.

There are hakkake of monotone color and gradation color. Hakkake of gradation color is called “bokashi hakkake”. This is for keeping the boundary line of hakkake and dori from falling on the front fabric of faint color. You can decide which hakkake to use on your preference because there is no rule.

The color of hakkake will make effect on the impression of kimono. This is why sometimes people change hakkake which is still unworn, when they get tired of it.

Obidome

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Obi Dome is a decorative accessory put on a Obi JIme cord.

Typically it is put on so-called Sanbu Himo which is a short and little thin Obi Jime though larger Obi Dome can be put on regular Obi Jime.

In general, you don’t use Obi Dome for formal kimono, but this is not because Obi Dome is for casual use but because formal kimono use thick Obi Jime therefore it is merely difficult to put it on. So, it’s common to see people attend to ceremony wearing Homongi with Obi Dome.

However, It’s better not to use Obi Dome for Tea ceremony. It doesn’t suit for Tea ceremony which values simplicity and also there is a norm not to bring in hard materials with you to the ceremony for it might cause some damages on tea items.

There is no strict rule for Obi Dome, so as long as it goes good with kimono, you can pick whatever you like. Some people arrange their brooch to make it.

There is a type of Obi Dome you put it on after you tie Obi Jime not before you tie it. This type is easier to use but you have to be careful because sometimes it falls.

Obijime

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Obijime is a final cord to fasten the tied Obi.

If this cord come untied, Otaiko will also fall, so it’s very important item. In addition,since it comes to the center of Obi, it stands out very much.

There are designed Obijime but it’s better to use easy to fasten ones until you get used to it.  A simple braided style cord would be recommended for beginners. Maruguke style cord which cotton core is wrapped by cloth is also easy to fasten, but it’s rarely seen recently.

There are Hanha Obi for summer and winter. Yurugi gumi style of Obi Jime and Sanbu Himo,which is used to put on Obi Dome, can be wear for all seasons.

Kumi Himo Style Obijime which is for summer is loosely braided. It looks lacy and cool, but since it is loosely braided, it made by hard cords so it would be hard to tie until you get used to it.

Hanha obi doesn’t need Obi Dome but it’s common to use it as an accessory. In this case, you won’t get into trouble if it loosen, so you can enjoy it by selecting rare material cords or knotting it into unique shapes.

Obi age

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Obi age is a cloth to secure the shape of the tied knot of obi.

However, nowadays obimakura plays that role except some occasions, so obiage is positioned as a decorating cloth to cover the obimakura and adjust the top of the obi. Hanhaba obi which doesn’t need obimakura, doesn’t also need obiage, but sometimes you use it as a decoration.

There are tricks for tying them elagantly, and it might be hard if you’re not used to it. One way to do it is not to make a knot, just adjust the shape and insert it between the obi and datejime.

Obiage for winter and summer are distinguished, and there are differences in ranks. Basically, translucent materials are for summer, and otherwise for winter.

Material mainly used are shibori, rinzu, and chirimen. For furisode, obiage with soshibori (elagant patterns on the whole cloth) is normally used, not only because it needs to have high quality, but also because the obiage needs to have volume in order to match with kimono and the obi. For formal kimonos, white obiage with golden strings is the basic, and rinzu or shibori is used.

When wearing casual kimonos, some people enjoy by using rectangular scarves, or items made by cutting cloths.

Hanhaba obi

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Hanhaba obi is a full-lengthed obi which has half a width of normal obi. It is a basic rule to wear it with komon or casual kimonos, and not for formal kimonos. Meanwhile, when wearing hakama, you wear hanhaba obi under your hakama whether you wear furisode or iromuji.

The characteristic of hanhaba obi is that it is easy to use. There is no complicating rules because it’s for daily use, and you can tie them freely. There is no specific rules for patterns or materials, so some people make it by themselves with their favorite cloth.

When tying them by yourself, you tie it in front of your body, and bring it to your back. It is dramatically easy to tie compared to Nagoya obi and fukuro obi which you have to make the shape at your back, and even beginners can make beautiful shapes by practicing a little.

There are a few basic ways to tie, for example bunko (book), or shell’s mouth, but bow tie is just fine, and some people make complicated shapes by using subsidiary ropes. You need considerable length to make a complicated shape, but recently obi with relatively long lengths are sold for that purpose.

Fukuro obi

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For formal kimonos, you use fukuro obi (bag obi).

The length is over 4m, and normally you set it up as nijuutaiko (double taiko knot). You wear them with Furisode, and a gorgeous decorated knot is applied to match the gorgeous furisode.

Besides when you wear formal kimonos, Nagoya obi is frequently used, so there is a image of “fukuro obi=formal dress”, but there are also fukuro obis for casual occasions. Fukuro obi for formal dresses is defined as “obi with golden or silver strings woven into it”, but it is easy to distinguish them because formal fukuro obis are apparantly gorgeous.

It is not for formal use if only a small amount of golden or silver strings are used, or if it naturally matches with komon.

Obishin, which you insert inside the fukuroobi, is made from cotton or silk, but it is not that silk is finer in quality than cotton. The hardness differs, so you should choose depending on your liking. If it is a recycled item, sometimes the oboshin is not inserted because of the preference of the former user. If the material is solid enough, you can use it with no problem. If it is too soft to tie a knot, you can have a core inserted at a shop where they do make-overs.

Nagoya Obi

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Nagoya-Obi is the most used Obi type among all types of Obi. It is normally worn only in the Ichiju daiko musubi (letteraly means “one layer drum knot” and it is common taiko musubi knot) style, but tsunodashi knot is also popular as a natty style.

Nagoya-Obi is often explained as “one end to wrap around the waist is folded and sewn in half”, but unsewn Nagoya-Obi is also commonly seen. This explanation is correct in the light of historical background, but to judge if your Obi is Nagoya-Obi or not, you should see the length of Obi.

The length of Nagoya-Obi is approximatively 3.5m and it is shorter to tie Nijudaiko-Musubi or two layer Taiko-Musubi knot. Nagoya-Obi can be used in different ocassions. As there are a wide variety of types of patterns and textures, we often hesitate which to choose. Basically, you can choose if an Obi goes well with Kimono. For exemple, when you use casual and pretty Nagoya-Obi for Homongi Kimono, the Obi may looks sleazy.

On the other hand,a classical pattern Nagoya-Obi made from exquisite brocade which can be accepted as semi-ceremonial wear, may be too prominent for a Tsumugi type Kimono.

Komon ( 小紋 )

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Komon

A dyeing process in which Japanese paper stencils and glue are used to create small patterns. During the Edo period, they were used by the men in samurai families, but they later became popular with common townswomen because of the delicate patterns.
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Hakata ori ( 博多織 )

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Hakata ori

In Hakata ori, there are more warp threads, and the design is made by these threads. The tightly compacted warp threads are woven tightly and repeatedly using thick weft threads, and the resulting fabric is stiff and hard to loosen once it has been tied.
“Hakata ori ( 博多織 )” の続きを読む