#Darari Obi

[love1kimono]

Osaka Maiko Chiyoha 1911

Teruha debuted in the Shinbashi geisha district of Tokyo in 1911, but prior to that she was a maiko (apprentice geisha) by the name of Chiyoha in the Sōemon-chō geisha district of Osaka. She debuted in Osaka in 1909, after several months training as a minarai (watching apprentice), having been sold into the flower and willow world aged 12 years. To increase her commercial value, Chiyoha was dressed in the Kyoto style with a Kyōfu hairstyle and a darari obi.

[missmyloko]

What’s In an Obi? Part 6

On The Fifth Day Of Fun I present... a new obi! This one is super colorful and fun, so let’s take a look!

Image courtesy of Eric and Liza Lee. Owned By: Yamaguchi (やまぐち) in Pontocho Motifs: All Season Flowers In Circles This is truly a stand out obi, not least of all because it can be worn from anytime between October and May. This is accentuated by the leaves representing autumn and cherry blossoms representing spring sprinkled around the circles. There’s five main circles that repeat on this obi: wisteria, chrysanthemums, maple leaves, peonies, and orange blossoms. Wisteria have traditionally been a flower of spring and are well known for their beauty that rivals the cherry blossoms in viewing. Chrysanthemums are one of the two national flowers of Japan (the other being cherry blossoms) and are a symbol of the imperial family. They’re also a flower of autumn as that’s when they bloom and are appreciated to the fullest. Maple leaves are the “second cherry blossoms” of Kyoto in that tourists flock to the old capital in droves to view them in the late months of the year to watch their stunning display of colors. Peonies are the undisputed “King of Flowers” whose large blossoms herald spring. Orange blossoms are a symbol of winter and the cold and remind us that spring will soon be with us once again.  

[tanuki-kimono]

Edo period women obi knots, fantastic reference chart by Edo lover Nadeshico Rin.

You can see here several obi musubi favored by city women, of all class and status. Novelty knots were a fashion statement, often lauched by star onnagata kabuki actors, and spread by iki fashionistas such as geisha.

For top to bottom, left to right, you can see here:

Chidori musubi (plover knot) ちどり結び

Shôryû musubi (little dragon knot) 小龍結び

Kichiya musubi (Kichiya knot) 吉弥 結び - named after onnagata actor Uemura Kichiya I in Genroku period, who single handedly launched a new type of knots and obi fashion

Koman musubi (Koman knot) 小万結び - named after a kabuki character in play Yakko no Koman

Nagoya obi (Nagoya belt) 名古屋帯 - Azuchi Momoyama/Early Edo era silk kumihimo tied in butterfly knot

Yanoji musubi (arrow knot) 矢の字結び - created by onnagata actor Segawa Kikunojo II. Also found under the name tateya musubi 立て矢結び (standing arrow knot)

Yoshio musubi (Yoshio knot) よしお結び

Mizuki musubi (Mizuki knot) 水木結び - onnagata actor Mizuki Tatsunosuke is said to have first worn this variation of the Kichiya musubi

Rokô musubi (rôkô knot) 路孝結び - created by onnagata actor Segawa Kikunojo II

Karuta musubi (card knot) カル��結び - created in early Edo period, looking like 3 playing cards side by side

Hitotsu musubi (single knot) 一つ結び - during Edo, was also called darari musubi だらり結び. Note that it differs from is nowadays called darari obi (worn by maiko)

Tate musubi (standing knot) 立て結び - see yanoji/tateya musubi for variations

Bunko kuzushi (unbalanced knot) 文庫くずし

Heijûrô musubi (Heijûrô knot) 平十郎結び - created by actor Murayama Heijûrô III

Sageshita musubi (falling knot) さげ下結び

(by request of @fireflybettle, hope this will help you ^^)

[the-wisteria-maiden]

rp starter

maki was in the forest after being abandond by her parants. she was cold with only a red kimono and white darari obi keepind her from falling dead. she cried as she stumbled through the forest. not knowing or caring if anyone was nearby

(rp starter for @shadowtoons-arinanon)

[moonlight-selkie]

Himeko - Refs - Other Stuff

Kichiya Knot:

Kimonos that use this style are: - Everyday Kimono - Iromuji - Furisode

Bunko Knot:

Kimonos that use this style are: - Yukata - Usumono / Natsumono: - Komon - Cropped Kimono

Karuta Musubi / Card Knot:

Kimonos that use this style are: - Autuam Kimono - Tsukesage - "Ball Gown" Kimono Otaiko Musubi / Nagoya Obi:

Kimonos that use this style are: - Winter Kimono - Tsukesage - Houmongi - Irotomesode Hitotu / Darari Masubi:

Kimonos that use this style are: - Susohiki / Hikizuri - "Evening Gown" Kimono Double Bow Musubi:

Kimonos that use this style are: - Bell Skirt Style Kimono - Short Skirt Furisode

Left:

The following items hear Himeko has had since the Edo Period:

- Kinchaku Bag - Coin Purse - Hakoseko Pouch (for cosmetics) - Kiseru Pipe + Tobacco Pouch - Combs + Comb Boxes - Hanko Set - Sensu Fans + Fan Cases - Uchiwa Fans

Right:

The following Items are ones Himeko has had since the Meiji Period

- Gamaguchi Purse - Notebooks + Fountain Pen - Pocket Watch - Pocket Mirror - Handkerchief

The following Items are ones Himeko has had in recent years (modern day)

- Phone - Headphones + Headphone Case - Keys + Keyrings - Hand Sanitizer + Hand Cream - Clutch Bag

[itsmarjudgelove]

The maiko's darari obi on full display while she dances. As she twists and turns the hints of gold thread and kyo-embroidery woven into the obi catches the light; shimmering. It is a lightshow and the maiko is the star

[garlandedspirits]

Maiko + darari obi (だらり帯)

[geimei]

May 2019: Maiko Kanako (Kawahisa Okiya) of Miyagawacho throwing the first pitch during a baseball game at the Koshei Stadium.

It’s a tradition for a Maiko or Geiko from Miyagawacho to throw the first pitch during a Hanshin Tigers baseball game once a year! Last year, now retired Geiko Kimihiro was chosen to do it.

Don’t get confused by Kanako’s kanzashi by the way: She’s wearing her January kanzashi because it features lucky motifs and a small Hanshin Tigers flag is pinned to it!

Baseball is one of the most popular sports in Japan, alongside Sumo, Judo and soccer. They have a unique tradition when it comes to throwing first pitches: The batter is supposed to swing and miss the ball on purpose!

Source: Spoon & Tamago on Instagram

[dummy-kanji]

Two Maiko Girls from Ponto-cho 1961 por Blue Ruin 1 Por Flickr: A photograph by Burt Glinn, in the Japan issue of “Holiday” magazine, October 1961.

[missmyloko]

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/f4/6d/37/f46d378f4b754416d05e7dae8769b195.(jpg)

Forgive me for the Pinterest link (parenthesis around jpg just so Tumblr doesn't automatically convert it to an image), but is this darari obi depicting a courtesan? It's so unique, do you happen to know which okiya it belongs to?

Yes, it is a courtesan and it belongs to Takemoto (たけもと) in Miyagawa Cho! I actually covered it before in my What's In An Obi? series, which you can check out here ^^

[missmyloko]

Hello, hope you are well. I came across this Youtube video: /watch?v=Sg6oJ34IWKA of Aoi tayu-san. I was wondering what are the names of the geimaiko in the video? And also around the 11:40 mark we see the maiko's obi, why is it tied that way?

They're geimaiko and hōkan (male geisha) from Gifu. The hōkan are Kikuji (喜久次) and Tatsuji (辰次), the geiko is Tamaji (多満次), and the maiko is Kikusuzu (喜久すゞ). The musubi used by Kikusuzu is one of the main musubi used in Gifu. They tend to only use the darari musubi when they're minarai or when they're newly debuted ^^

[missmyloko]

I have a question regarding darari obi. Are they maiko exclusive or were obi worn like that regularly too in the past?

Originally darari obi were worn by children of the nobility as a way of showing what household they belonged to. Eventually it was adopted by the okiya of the karyukai as a way to show what maiko belonged to which okiya ^^

[missmyloko]

Do you know the best places to purchase hikizuri, darari obi, or any juban, obijime, obiage, etc. designed for maiko?

The best place to find maiko items are through Yahoo! Japan Auctions (YJA) ^^

[missmyloko]

I really enjoy your blog. Where do Kabuki actors who play female roles get their kimono and katsura from? Do they use the same places the geimaiko use? Is it unusual for a princess character in a Kabuki play to wear a darari obi? I understand why she was wearing a furisode kimono but not the derari obi.

They get their kimono and katsura from stage and prop makers who specialize in theatre productions, which are not the same as the ones that geimaiko source theirs from. It's not unusual for a princess character to wear a darari obi in kabuki as the costumes are made to look dramatic, and what could be more dramatic than the flow and twirl of a darari obi? ^^

[missmyloko]

Are there any differences between the kimono worn by minarai and maiko ? Is the darari obi only worn by maiko ?

You can learn all about the differences in kimono worn by maiko and minarai and the obi that they wear from district to district here ^^

[missmyloko]

Why is the Kamon for Tama Okiya and Umeno Okiya the same on the Darari Obi?

That's because the owners of the okiya happen to have the same family kamon. With Umeno's new ownership they actually slightly changed their kamon, so it's no longer identical to Tama's ^^