Category: Obi

Hakata and momiji chuuya obi

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I’ve professed my love for hakata obi many times before, and I’ve been lusting after unique, vintage chuuya (night-and-day reversible) obi for a bit now. When this one came up on eBay I was positive it would shoot out of my price range, especially since I was preparing for a trip to New York City and couldn’t afford any big-ticket items.

With a day left and barely any bidding, I figured I’d have to toss out a little bid, but I was really resigned to saying goodbye to this beauty. I guess the universe was feeling sorry for me because I picked it up for a song.

One side is a stunning, delicate yuzen-dyed momiji (turning maple) motif on indigo-purple diamonds. A few of the more visible leaves also have a bit of embroidery along the veining, which is a really pretty and delicate touch. The inverse is a lush burnt orange hakata weave, and both sides are incredibly lush.

It does have a slight bit of age-related patina, but it’s nearly invisible except under direct close-up flash photography. It’s wonderfully wearable, and I think it will go very well with the irotomesode I just received.

Momiji and Hakata chuuya

Momiji and Hakata chuuya

Momiji and Hakata chuuya

Tokaido hanhaba obi

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A while back I found a Stations of the Tokaido hanhaba obi on eBay that was quite similar to this one, but it was a bit expensive for a hanhaba, in my opinion. I let it slide, but honestly I regretted it after the auction was over.

Fast-forward approximately a year and this little baby shows up on eBay for a starting bid of one penny. Not only was it in a much more affordable price range, it also had much nicer contrast – the stations and reverse are a lovely golden yellow colour. On the first one I’d seen, they were a deeper red than the obi’s base, so they were pretty indistinguishable.

Tokaido hanhaba

The front side is a lovely brick red with simplified interpretations of the start point of Nihonbashi Bridge, the end point of the Bridge to Kyoto, and Station2 – Kawasaki. The reverse is a nice versatile warm gold asanoha weave design.

Tokaido hanhaba

Tokaido hanhaba

Tokaido hanhaba

Tokaido hanhaba

Green on cream hakata hanhaba

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This is one of those lessons that reminds me that auction photos can be very inaccurate. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lovely obi, a nice crisp hakata in a forest green on cream, but in the auction photos it looked very pink. I fell in love with the idea of green on pink. Thankfully I only paid a penny plus shipping for it, and I am sure I will find a good use for it, but it was a reminder not to get too excited or attached to things until they’re actually in your hands.

Green-on-white hakata hanhaba

Green-on-white hakata hanhaba

Punk-style yukata and obi set

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This amazing set was a gift from Arian, because he is a goofball. I saw it on Rakuten and fell in love with the unexpected designs. They remind me of old-school tattoo flash or motorcycle art, sort of Von Dutch or Ed Hardy style. There are hot rod flames, skulls, roses, handcuffs, snakes, and lord knows what else. Every time I look at it I find new things to ogle. The obi is pretty awesome too – on the surface it looks like a pretty mundane pink obi with white butterflies, but on closer inspection, the butterflies (like those on the matching geta are actually decorated with human skulls. I think the fact that these are much more subtle than the vivid, cartoony skulls on the yukata are what make the items work so well together.

I can’t wait until it gets warm enough for me to wear this out somewhere! I think it’s an item that kimono and non-kimono people alike will appreciate.

Punky yukata & obi set
Punky yukata & obi set

Punky yukata & obi set
Punky yukata & obi set

Orizuru Nagoya Obi

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I actually received this on Monday but was hesitant to post it, not wanting to seem callous. I’ve permanently added the list of donation resources to the top of the page, and I also realized that one of the healthiest things for people to do, especially people like myself who are panicking needlessly, is to try to live a normal life. Furthermore, the motif of this particular piece seemed exceptionally timely. Paper cranes are often viewed as symbols of good luck and hope, and in Japan there is a tradition known as Senbazuru, or A Thousand Paper Cranes. The belief is that anyone who folds a thousand paper cranes will have a wish granted to them. They are often made to encourage long and happy weddings, or given to people suffering from illnesses and hoping for a cure. I cannot think of a more fitting motif to add to my collection right now.

I’ve wanted something with orizuru (which is the name for paper cranes, ori– folding, and tsuru– crane) for a very long time, and actually bid on an obi exactly like this a while back, but it skyrocketed out of my budget. When I saw another one come up for auction again I kept an eye on it but didn’t get my hopes up. However, the seller who’d put it up has been having some techincal/communication problems and I guess people were hesitant to bid, because I picked it up for a song.

It’s so nice in person, for synthetic it’s really thick and soft, not slippery like a lot of modern obi can be, and the areas with the cranes are edged in a thin line of gold thread, which really makes them pop.

Orizuru Nagoya Obi

Orizuru Nagoya Obi