Obi For Every Kind Of Kimono
We are excited to offer a full range of obi for wearing with authentic Japanese kimono, or pretty much any purpose you may think of including upcycling crafts and interior design. Over the years we have sold a vast number of obi to a wide variety of passionate collectors, some of whom wear them, others use them as interior design elements for decorating. Whatever your purpose is for buying an obi, we are here to help. Our selection of obi ranges from more casual hanhaba obi and nagoya obi, to formal fukuro and maru obi. We do acknowledge that there are other kinds of obi (hussan nagoya obi, and chuuya obi to name a few), but we prefer to keep the organization of such simple in our online store. Just like Japanese kimono, obi have their own range of formalities and should be coordinated in a suiting manner. Being aware of the manner in which obi are tied, and the various forms of expression you can use with them will greatly enhance your kimono.
Obi For All Genders
Much like other clothing, obi do have a gender that they express. Masculine and feminine obi are worn differently and deploy the use of various different kitsuke related accessories. Women's obi are hanhaba, nagoya, fukuro, and maru obi. There are 3 kinds of masculine obi most commonly encountered: heko obi, kaku obi, and tanzen. Both male and female obi come in tsuke styles, which are pre-tied and easy to wear.
Nagoya, fukuro, and maru obi typically require a few accessories to be worn in a traditional manner with a Japanese kimono and are considered feminine attire. The common accessories for such obi are: 1 makura, 1 obiage, 1 obijime, and 1 obidome. Hanhaba obi do not typically require any accessories to be worn. Obi can be tied in a wide variety of styles, and there are many online guides that help instruction on how to tie them. Obi are most commonly tied in the front, then moved to the back.
There are 3 kinds of masculine obi most commonly encountered: heko obi, kaku obi, and tanzen. Men's obi generally do not require accessories to be worn, however, inro and netsuke are popular accessories. In fact, inro and netsuke collecting are widely popular worldwide, and they are highly prized addition to any collection.