Types of Japanese Obi
According to Google Books, "The Real Japan" By Henry Norman, the obi is the pride of the Japanese woman. An obi is a piece of cloth 12 feet long and 30 inches wide that is worn over a Kimono around the waist. While most obis are worn by females, there is also a man's version. A man has a more simple kind of obi. The women, however, use different types of obis with different kimonos depending on preference and the formality of the occasion.
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Obi Accessories
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The Japanese obi is actually comprised of several belts. When worn all together in the required fashion they are collectively called the Japanese Obi. However, each part also has its own individual name. According to japanesekimono.com the koshi-himo belt assists in holding excess kimono fabric. It is tied in the front and back below the excess fabric. Then the date-jime belt, a strip of colorful cloth is placed around the waist to hide the koshi-himi belt. The Obi is then put in place and tied in back. Once everything is in place the obi-jimi cord is tied around the obi holding it in place over the inner belts mentioned. This cord is braided and chosen in colors to compliment the obi being worn. Although the process is the same for wearing any obi there are several types of obis that are used in Japan.
Casual
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Casual obis are worn with basic kimonos and with a kind of summer kimono called a yukata. These obis are worn for casual wear but at times can be as ornate as other types of obis. The main difference between a casual obi and the others is the material it is made out of and the fact that casual obis are never embroidered. Japanesekimono. com states that a casual obi is never made of silk but instead from materials such as nylon, cotton, gauze weaves and twill.
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Formal
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A formal obi is wrapped around the waist twice before tying. It is made of silk or brocade and generally has amazing details and decorations embroidered or sewn into the fabric. Most formal obis now are worn by Japanese brides and often the entire obi will be embroidered with intricate designs. Japanesekimono.com further explains that in general the more embroidered an obi is the more formal it becomes.
Butterfly
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This obi is the easiest to use in spite of having two parts of the actual obi. First an obi cloth measuring 5 feet is wrapped around the waist twice. Then the pre-tied obi bow is clipped on in the back. The name of this obi comes from the Japanese believing the bow to look like a butterfly. The pre-tied butterfly obi is popular, however there is also a more complicated butterfly obi used in which the obi is tied in the butterfly bow by the wearer or her assistant.
Men's Obi
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The encyclopedia.com website states that men's obis are much simpler than woman's obis. They are a more practical obi and made of soft materials such as crepe. There are two types of men's obi according to Japanesekimono.com. There are the kaku obi and the heko obi. The heko obi is a tye dyed sash of free flowing material. The kaku obi is a stiff cotton material.
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