#katabasami

[tanuki-kimono]

Hello, I have a weird question but maybe you can answer it. When I was a teenager I was gifted a yukata and taught to tie the obi to make it look like a bow. That was cute then, but now that I'm in my mid 30s I wonder if this is still appropriate. Are there other ways to tie the obi of a yukata that are maybe a bit more mature ? I love wearing my yukata, but I'm starting to get self-conscious about maybe being too old for that… (I only wear it for matsuri in Japan so it's not like it's often, but it makes me even more self-conscious because I am very clearly not Japanese so I don't want to look ridiculous.) Thank you !

Hi fellow mid-30's kimono wearer :D It's true some styles can feel a bit weird depending on ages.

Though nothing truly forbids you to keep wearing bunko musubi, if you don't feel confortable with a bow knot or its variations (for ex. this one or this one?), don't despair! there are many (like MANY) other knots which would work with your age and "status" :D

If you wish for something classical, I'd recommend:

Kai no kuchi musubi (clam mouth knot) - a super all purpose knot, worn by women and men alike. It's been around for ages and never went out of style!

Ronin musubi (ronin knot) or katabasami - unisex knots that have been around for a long time too, pretty sturdy and chic.

Karuta musubi (card knot) - easy to tie and quite flat so perfect if you have to ride a car/train or sit on Western chairs.

Taiko musubi (drum knot) or tsunodashi musubi (also called Ginza musubi) - you can fake those ones (usually tied with wider obi) with a hanhaba obi, see examples here and here.

More on the novelty side :

Kamifusen musubi (paper balloon knot) - a more whimsical knot but could still work depending on your style. It asks for preparation but it's very cute :)

Neko mimi musubi (cat ears knot) - there are many variations, with or without hanhaba obi - look at this one for ex

Not-tied obi, a super modern way of wearing obi. Ayaaya has a lot a those, check for example this one and look at her socials for more (especially "frilly" variations)

Any variations of what I call the "waterfall" musubi, where obi ends are elegantly arranged thanks to elastique belts. It's super fashionable atm, see it shown step by step on Billy Matsunaga's channel.

To go further, searching for "hanhaba obi musubi" will gives you a lot of other ideas ;)

Hope it helps, and that you'll have a lot of fun at matsuri!

[monsieuroverlord]

Some Hellfire Gala looks for Akihiro!

This started out as a couple of sketch ideas, but since I couldn’t settle on one idea, I turned him into a paper doll! 

The first is sort of an east-meets-west kimono and button-down style with wide pants underneath (I sort of mashed up a couple different references for this one and completely redid the color palatte) The obi is tied in a gender-neutral katabasami style. Also wearing black platform boots.

The second style is a long, dip-dyed purple kimono with embroidered centipedes and painted higanbana. In place of a traditional obi, I opted for a wide, black leather belt with rows of buckles and geta sandals

Then we have the accessories (same for each look, I got lazy haha): silk higanbana earrings and kanzashi (the hair pin) with pearl accents. The kushi (comb holding the bun) is his mother’s. 

For makeup, I decided on a red eyeliner look to match the flowers, along with red-accented eyebrows and lips. 

The nails: black half-moon circle things at the base, red to the tips. 

I’ve also been toying with the idea of a decorative claw scabbard custom made to fit over one of his claws. This one has a chain with a hanging jewel.

They haven’t released the Hellfire Gala looks yet (and I’m deprived as it is with the lack of looks last year) so i made some! 

[tanuki-kimono]

[4 Gender-Neutral Obi Arrangements for Kimono], once again a great video by Billy Matsunaga.The knots shown here are:

Karuta Musubi

Kai no Kuchi

Katabasami

Noshime Katabasami

I’ve covered some of those musubi on this blog but it’s always better to see them live, especially the two versions with kaku Obi (men narrow obi) and hanhaba Obi (women “half” obi) side by side!

[tanuki-kimono]

Men obi knots collection by @mukimei_kana. Most of those can also be worn by women. They are, from top to bottom + left to right:

=> Using soft obi type:

Heko obi (兵児帯)

=> Using stiff obi type (kaku obi, hanhaba obi, etc.):

Kichiya musubi (吉弥結び)

Yanoji musubi (やの字 結び)

Karuta musubi (かるた結び)

Katawana musubi (片わな 結び)

Double ribbon musubi (ダブルリボン結び)

Ichimonji musubi (一文字結び)

Kawari katabasami (変わり片ばさみ - also sometimes called ronin musubi 浪人結び)

Kanda musubi (神田結び)