Preparation for furisode lessons

Select your favorite furisode and fukuro obi,  and prepare all items.

When you begin kitsuke or putting on kimono, the first thing you have to do is preparation. It is very important because you need many kitsuke komono accessories.

Stack up furisode, obi and accessories in order, and you can put them on smoothly.

Select furisode and obi

Furisode

Furisode is a formal kimono that can be worn only by unmarried women.

There are three types of furisode, such as oo-furisode, chu-furisode, and ko-furisode.

“Oo-furisode” with the longest sleeves (around 114 cm) is the most formal and a standard wedding costume.

Chu-frisode is a semi-formal kimono with the middle length sleeves (around 100 cm). Single women can wear it to attend various ceremonies and parties.

Ko-furisode with the sleeves length of about 85 cm is often worn with hakama or a pleated skirt. It’s a classic style of attending a graduation ceremony.

Fukuro obi

Fukuro obi is commonly used for formal kimono, such as tomesode, houmongi, and furisode.

For furisode, fukuro obi is tied with a decorative knot called kawari musubi. It looks gorgeous.

Things you prepare

They are required for wearing furisode and tying bunko.

1. Tabi socks
2. Hadajuban and susoyoke underwear / kimono slip
3. Towels (padding)
4. Haneri collar
5. Erishin collar stiffener
6. Kasane-eri collar
7. Nagajuban for the furisode
8. 3~5 himo (munahimo, koshihimo, karihimo)
9. Furisode
10. Korin belt
11. 2 datejime sash
12. Obiita board
13. Fukuro obi
14. Obimakura pad (depend on obi shapes but this bunko is no required.)
15. Gauze for obimakur pad (about 30 cm x your height.)
16. Sanju or goju-himo band
17. Obijime cord
18. Obiage cloth
19. 3~4 clips
20. Zori

Please refer to Kimono accessories and What to check when you buy kimonos online

Other preparation

Sew haneri on nagajuban and put erishin in

Put kasane-eri on furisode

Make sanju or gojuhimo

Fold furisode and fukuro obi into karidatami

Karidatami is the way of folding kimono and obi in advance to take a smooth start.

Furisode

Fold the furisode into karidatami temporarily. It’s very easy.

1. Place the collar on the left. Fold the kimono into half and fold the sleeves under the body.

2. Fold the body into three parts equally. The solid line shows a mountain fold and the dotted line shows a valley fold.

3. Finished.

Obi

Names of fukuro obi parts

How to fold fukuro obi into karidatami. It is useful to tie it smoothly.

Prepare himo for easy take

Himo is made of thin fabric, such as wool, cotton, silk. linen, etc. It is sewn like a tube. It is used to wear kimono instead of zippers and buttons.

While putting on kimono, If you can’t find the center of himo, loosening may occur because you have to move your body.

The following is an example that you can take himo easily .

Here is the video.

Stack up everything

Before stacking up, fold all things neatly so as to take them easily.

The order of stacking up

Put everything in a shallow box or on furoshiki, a wrapping cloth.

From the top,

Please be sure to…

• The first thing you have to do is put tabi socks on.
• Did you put the erishin interlining through the nagajuban‘s collar? People often forget that.
• Belts, bands, himo and a cord should be placed to take their centers easily.
• Put clips aside. 
• Place all items on the left in front of you.
• This time, no obi pad is required.

Are you ready?

Okay! So let’s put on frisode!