Japanese Robes

how do you tie an obi?

how do you tie a japanese obi around a komonao

Public Comments

1. what the heck is that???
2. i got a clip-on. It's very complicated, since it's basically an 8 foot long 6-8 inch wide ribbon
3. ok,first of all, it's not a komonao....it's kimono......you can go to japanesekimono.com....i go there a lot....they have instruction there....but you can't really follow it unless you hav a real kimono ith you coz you hav to do it step by step....
4. It really is complicated; I vote for the clip-on version, too. When women tie it themselves, they do it in front, then kind of hitch it around to the back. Let me try and give a brief explanation. Leave one end over your shoulder -- you will tie the thing together with this end. Wrap the obi around yourself two or three times. You should have about three or four feet (1 m.) left over. Fold this over one foot at a time until you have a small, foot long packet at your waist. Take the end hanging off your shoulder, bring it around the packet in the middle and over the top, then "knot" it by bringing it under itself. The rest of the end should look like half a bow, the packet also should look like a nice bow. Adjust the packet so it is perpendicular to the floor, then hitch it around to the back (if necessary). You may need to practice this many times to get it right, but the skills will come. Good luck! (My kids take Japanese dance; I usually have another lady do the obi, but I *can* tie it if I have to, and it's usually good enough to last two or three hours of kid wiggling.)