How to Tie a Japanese Obi

Tie a traditional Japanese obi over a kimono.

The Japanese obi is a beautiful embroidered sash that women wear over their kimonos. An obi can be elegant and expensive for formal affairs or simple yet fashionable for everyday use. What you see is more than meets the eye with an obi. Adding an obi-age or jime can tell you if the woman is single, married, young or older. With so many patterns and fabrics and additions to the obi, the end result can be stunning.

Things You'll Need

• Kimono
• Obi
• Obi makura
• Obi-age
• Obi-jime
• Koshimo ribbon

Instructions

1. Wrap the narrow end of the obi around your waist. Leave about 3 feet of the obi tail free in the back.

2. While making sure that where the obi changes width, from 6 inches to 12 inches, is in the middle part of your back, tie the ends together. Leave the narrow part of the tail free.

3. Place the makura beneath the 12-inch section of the obi and tightly tie the two strings in the front. The obi makura is a small hard pillow needed to make a drum bow. Tuck into the top portion of the obi.

4. Tie the obi-age, which is a silk scarf directly above the obi. A simple square knot is fine. In Japanese culture, the age of the woman determines how much of the obi-age to show; younger women show more of the scarf, while older women show less, according to the Kimonomama website.

5. Fold the bottom of the obi into the top.

6. Make a temporary tie by using a koshimo ribbon or cotton cord. Place the ribbon at the folded bottom part of the obi and tie off in the front.

7. Tuck the remaining fabric inside the drum bow. The obi-jime is a braided cord made of silk that ties on top of the obi. If you are an older woman, it is tied in the lower third of the obi. For unmarried women it is tied in the upper third of the obi and for married women it is tied in the center.

8. Position the jime and tie left over right, and then right over left. Tuck the ends of the jime into the sides of the jime.

9. Remove the cord that was used for the temporary tie.

Tips & Warnings

• There are a few ways to tie an obi depending on the occasion. For more information on different styles, visit the Japanese Lifestyle website.

• Placing the obi age or jime incorrectly may send the wrong message, so make sure they are placed correctly.

References

• Rising Sun Imports: How to Tie Obi
• Kimonomama: Revealing the Secrets of Kimono
• Japanese Lifestyle: How To Tie Yanoji Musubi Obi---Kimono Encyclopaedia