An obi (帯) is a belt of varying size and shape worn with both traditional Japanese clothing and uniforms for Japanese martial arts styles. Originating as a simple thin belt in Heian period Japan, the developed over time into a belt with a number of different varieties, with a number of different sizes and proportions, lengths, and methods of tying. The, which once did not differ significantly in appearance between men and women, also developed into a greater variety of styles for women than for men. Despite the kimono having been at one point and continuing to appear to be held shut by the, many modern are too wide and stiff to function in this way, with a series of ties known as , worn underneath the , used to keep the kimono closed instead. are categorised by their design, formality, material, and use, and can be made of a number of types of fabric, with heavy brocade weaves worn for formal occasions, and some lightweight silk worn for informal occasions. are also made from materials other than silk, such as cotton, hemp and polyester, though silk are considered a necessity for formal occasions. In the modern day, pre-tied, known as or , are also worn, and do not appear any different to a regular when worn. Though can be inexpensive when bought second-hand, they typically cost more than a kimono, particularly when purchased brand-new. A number of specialist fabrics used particularly to make are highly prized for their craftsmanship and reputation of quality, such as, produced in the Nishijin district of Kyoto, and produced in Fukuoka prefecture.

History

Heian period to Edo period

In its early days, the was a cord or ribbon-like sash, approximately 8 cm in width. Men's and women's were similar. At the beginning of the 17th century, both women and men wore a thin, ribbon-like. By the 1680s, the width of women's had already doubled from its original size. In the 1730s women's were about 25 cm wide, and at the turn of the 19th century were as wide as 30 cm. At that time, separate ties and cords were necessary to hold the in place. Men's were widest in the 1730s, at about 16 cm. Before the Edo period, robes were fastened with a narrow sash at the hips. The mode of attaching the sleeve widely to the torso part of the garment would have prevented the use of wider. When the sleeves of the began to grow in both horizontal width and vertical length at the beginning of the Edo period, the widened as well. There were two reasons for this: firstly, to maintain the aesthetic balance of the outfit, the longer sleeves needed a wider sash to accompany them; secondly, unlike today (where they are customary only for unmarried women) married women also wore long-sleeved kimono in the 1770s. The use of long sleeves without leaving the underarm open would have hindered movements greatly. These underarm openings in turn made room for even wider. Originally, all were tied in the front. Later, fashion began to affect the position of the knot, and could be tied to the side or to the back. As grew wider the knots grew bigger, and it became cumbersome to tie the in the front. By the end of the 17th century were mostly tied in the back. However, the custom did not become firmly established before the beginning of the 20th century. At the end of the 18th century, it was fashionable for a woman's to have overly long hems that were allowed to trail behind when in house. For moving outside, the excess cloth was tied up beneath the with a wide cloth ribbon called. Contemporary women's kimono are made similarly over-long, but the hems are not allowed to trail; the excess cloth is tied up to hips, forming a fold called the. are still used, but only as a decorative accessory.

Modern day

The most formal women's, the , is technically obsolete, worn only by some brides, with a modified, longer version - the (lit., "dangling ") - worn by , in the present day. The lighter has taken the place of. The originally-everyday is the most common used today, and fancy may even be accepted as a part of a semi-ceremonial outfit. The use of fancy, decorative knots has also narrowed, though mainly through the drop in the numbers of women wearing kimono on a regular basis, with most women tying their in the (lit., "drum knot") style. , also known as, have gained popularity as pre-tied belts accessible to those with mobility issues or a lack of knowledge on how to wear. Tatsumura Textile located in Nishijin in Kyoto is a centre of manufacture today. Founded by Heizo Tatsumura I in the 19th century, it is renowned for making some of the most luxurious available. Amongst Tatsumura's students studying design was the later-painter Inshō Dōmoto. The technique, traditionally produced in the Nishijin area of Kyoto, is intricately woven and can have a three dimensional effect, costing up to 1 million yen. The Kimono Institute was founded by Kazuko Hattori in the 20th century and teaches how to tie an and wear it properly.

Women's

[[File:Obi dimensions.png|thumb|right|upright|Women's in scale: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.]] There are many types of for women, with certain types of worn only with certain types of kimono to certain occasions. Often, the can adjust the formality of the entire kimono outfit, with the same kimono being worn to occasions of differing formality depending on the worn with it. Most women's no longer keep the kimono closed, owing to their stiffness and width, and a number of ties worn under the keep the kimono in place. A woman's formal can be 30 cm wide and more than 4 m long, with the longest variety – the, nearing 6 m in length – worn only by in some regions of Japan. Some women's are folded in two width-wise when worn, to a width of about 15 cm to 20 cm; the full width of the is present only in the knot at the back of the kimono, with the band around the middle appearing to be half-width when worn. There are a number of different ways to tie an, and different knots are suited to different occasions and different kimono. The itself often requires the use of stiffeners and cords for definition of shape and decoration, and some knots, such as the, require additional accessories in order to keep their shape.

Women's types

Accessories for women's

Men's

The worn by men are much narrower than those of women, with the width of most men's being about 10 cm at the most. Men's are worn in a much simpler fashion than women's, worn below the stomach and tied in a number of relatively simple knots at the back - requiring no or to achieve.

Men's types

Accessories

Men's are not generally worn with accessories, being for the most part too thin to accommodate any of the accessories worn with women's. However, in the Edo period, practical box-shaped accessories called inro (印籠), which hung from with a fastener called, became popular. is a general term for bags and boxes for cigarettes, pipes, ink, brushes, etc. Among them, a small stackable box for seals and medicines is. , which originated in the Sengoku period, were first used as practical goods, but after the middle of the Edo period, when were gorgeously decorated with various lacquer techniques such as and, samurai and wealthy merchants competed to collect them and wore them as accessories with kimono. And from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji period, became a complete art collection. Nowadays, are rarely worn as kimono accessories, but there are collectors all over the world.

Children's

Children's are generally soft, simple sashes, designed to be easy and comfortable to wear, though older children may wear simple, stiffer made short, such as and ; as they age, children begin to wear kimono outfits that are essentially miniaturised versions of adult kimono and. The youngest children wear soft, scarf-like.

Children's types

In martial arts

Many Japanese martial arts feature an as part of their uniform. These are often made of thick cotton and are about 5 cm wide. The martial arts are most often worn in the style; in practice where the is worn, the is tied in other ways. In many martial arts the colour of the signifies the wearer's skill level. Usually the colours start from the beginner's white and end in the advanced black, or masters' red and white. When the exercise outfit includes a, the colour of the has no significance.

Knots ()

The knot tied with the is known as the "knot" (結び/むすび). Though functioned to hold the kimono closed for many centuries, beginning in the Edo period, the became too wide and/or too stiff to function effectively in this manner. In the modern day, a number of ties and accessories are used to keep the kimono in place, with the functioning in a more decorative capacity. Though most styles of can be tied by oneself, some varieties of formal women's can be difficult to tie successfully without the assistance of others. There are hundreds of decorative knots, particularly for women, often named for their resemblance to flowers, animals and birds. knots follow the same rough conventions of style and suitability as kimono do, with the more complex and fanciful knots reserved for younger women on festive occasions, and knots with a plainer appearance being mostly worn by older women; however, some knots, such as the, have become the standard knot for women of all ages, excluding young girls. In earlier days, the knots were believed to banish malicious spirits. Many knots have a name with an auspicious double meaning.

Types of knots

Gallery

Citations

General and cited references