Home Life in Tokyo

by Jukichi Inouye

THE OBI FOR ORDINARY WEAR. FOR GIRLS. FOR WOMEN.

The tying of the obi, especially of the dress-obi, is by no means a simple process. In the first place a woman puts on her dress in the same way as a man, that is, she folds the front edges left over right, and not right over left as in a European dress. When she has thus folded her underwear, which she sometime ties round with a cloth cord to keep it in place, she takes her kimono, single or double as the case may be, and catching the two edges near the ends of the band, holds them out behind her and raises them tightly until the skirt is just at her ankles, that is, at the height at which she wishes it to be, and then folding the edges stiffly one over the other, she ties the dress at the hip with a cloth cord to prevent its slipping. Then she arranges the upper half of the dress, putting the band in order and pulling the loose part down so that the breast is pressed almost flat, and ties the tuck just over the hips with a second cord. The tuck is thus tied above and below; for this two different cords are used in formal dresses, but for ordinary wear a single long narrow sash of crêpe may be used for both purposes, the sash passing over the tuck at the side. Next, the obi, if it is for ordinary wear, is folded in two along its length and wound twice round the waist, thus concealing the cord on the tuck and leaving at the back a foot or so of one end, while the other end is three feet or more in length. The former is folded lengthwise with the lining inside. The two ends are tied in such a way that the doubled end comes out at the side slanting downwards under the knot. The second end is, while being tied, folded once with the lining outside and is pulled vertically so that the folded part is held straight up; and it is drawn out until the length above the knot is about the same as that remaining behind and then dropped over the knot; and so, when it hangs down, its end or the fold is higher than the end of the obi just by the width of the knot, that is, by a few inches. The end under the knot displays the face and the fold itself the lining. Some people keep the knot from coming loose by tying a cord over it round the obi, while others merely tighten it when it slackens.

The obi for ceremonial occasions is tied in the same way, only that as it is of the same material on both sides, there is no distinction of face and lining. When it is tied, a narrow sash with a piece of board or stiff cardboard in the middle is put under the vertical fold and raised above the level of the obi, and the ends of the sash are tied in front and the knot is tucked under the obi. This sash is a kind of bustle to keep the fold from falling. Next, the fold is refolded inward, while the doubled end, instead of hanging out as in the ordinary obi, is bent back and pushed under the fold. A silk cord is then passed between the two faces of the fold along the middle of the obi and tightly fastened in front over the obi by means of a hook or buckle. This cord is intended to prevent the doubled end and the fold, after the refold, from falling off. The hook or buckle is usually in the form of a flower or some other simple design in gold. Thus, it will be seen that in wearing the ceremonial obi, a woman is tied twice each over and under it.

THE DRESS-OBI. FOR GIRLS. FOR WOMEN.

As the obi is the most conspicuous part of a woman’s dress, the haori, which would conceal it except in front, is not worn on formal occasions. It is only worn at home or on an informal visit; and in the absence of a haori to display her crest on, the woman has it dyed on her kimono, the number being three or five as on the man’s haori. The formal dress is a suit of three kimono, of which the second and lowest have white neck-bands. The skirt is wadded much thicker than usual. Sometimes when it is too warm to wear three kimono, the middle one is dispensed with and an extra band is put on the lower kimono and a false skirt sewn on to it to make it look as if there were an intermediate kimono. The formal colour of the uppermost kimono is black, with five white crests; but except on special occasions less sombre colours may be worn, of which the favourite are blue, grey, and violet, all light-tinted. Underneath the kimono is the long chemise which is the only article of clothing that is allowed to be bright-coloured. It is often expensive; and just as men line their haori with costly stuff which may or may not be seen in company, so women expend as much money upon their chemises, the skirt of which may be partly exposed to view as they walk. It is commonly of figured crêpe, habutaye, or crêpe de Chine. Under the chemise is the ordinary cotton underwear.

When she goes out on an informal visit, the Japanese woman usually puts on a crested haori; but if it is only for a walk, the haori may be plain. The kimono may on such occasions be of any pattern, only that when she makes a call, the band must be of the same cloth as the kimono. At home a woman usually has on a black satin band as it can be readily renewed, for owing to the liberal use of pomade on her hair, the band is the part of her dress that is soonest soiled, and hence the advantage of a band that can be easily changed. The part of her dress which is, next to the band, most liable to be soiled is the lap; for as we squat with our knees bent in front of us, we are apt to lay in our laps whatever may be in our hands, and most women therefore, except in families of higher position, wear aprons at home. Those of the middle class take off their aprons when they go out; but the wives and daughters of tradesmen and artisans wear them even outdoors. Still, as it is not considered good form to have them on when one receives calls, they should take them off before they go into the parlour to welcome their visitors; as a matter of fact, however, this is done only when the visitor is one of superior position who must be treated with great respect. The apron covers the front part of the kimono below the obi, under which it is tied by a cord attached to it. It is also worn by tradesmen and others whose business it is to handle wares of any kind.

A SERVANT WITH TUCKED SLEEVES.

The ordinary kimono is inconvenient for active work. Those whose work requires a free movement of the limbs, commonly discard the long sleeves and the skirt. Coolies and artisans wear tight-sleeved coats and tight-fitting drawers of cotton. Women, too, who labour outdoors have on similar clothes sometimes; but more frequently they wear tight-sleeved kimono, the skirts of which are tucked up to the knees to facilitate their walking. Women, however, who live indoors but have to move about at their household work, do not care to put on tight-sleeved kimono, and they tie up their sleeves with a cloth cord when they are actively employed. They are often to be seen dusting and sweeping the rooms with their sleeves tied up and a towel on their heads. The kimono appears indeed to be capable of little improvement. The only concession that has been made to the requirements of the latter-day school-girl is the contraction of the sleeves. The “reformed dress,” as it is called, has large open sleeves which can be tightened by means of a string. It is found very handy and is worn by many school-girls. Reformed or unreformed, there is this to be said for the Japanese woman’s dress that it does not suffer in the matter of pockets or what serve as such from comparison with man’s.