Graduation kimono and hakama

[Kou Hiko]

I recently got a graduation kimono/hakama set that I'm going to wear to my graduation ceremony and for my senior pictures that I'm gettion soon. I know how to dress the hakama and the kimono, but what musubi (bow) do I tie my obi in? Do I tie it in Kai no kuchi musubi? Should the musubi be completly covered in the back? Also, the hakama tend to slide off of my obi when I'm trying to tie the hakama on. Kyoaki, do you have any tips on how I can keep my hakama up when tieing it? Also, is a date eri absolutely neccessry with graduation kimono? I would like to have the date eri because I think it looks so much better, but I don't own one so I try to make my own, but it doesn't want to stay in place. Should I sew it to my kimono collar?

(This is my last post of the night!! It's 4:15 AM!!)  Oyasumi nasai!

[Kiyoaki]

Dear Amanda/Hiko

You certainly covered the field with all your postings. Please continue to add your experience to that of everyone else.

On the problem with the obi, I think one solution is to dispense with it altogether or to wear a hanhaba or a man's kaku-obi instead. A regular woman's obi is largely meant to be decorative. It's width is based upon the overall proportion of the kimono and is meant to accent the ensemble. When you wear hakama, they dominate your outfit, so the usual sort of obi is inapropriate.

Because women wear their hakama much higher then men, I'm not 100% certain, but the upper edge of the hakama should be placed higher than the navel. However, in practical terms, it should be tied at the narrowest part of the torso so it won't slip down. However, the length of the set you have, may influence where you actually tie them.

The hem of the hakama should stop short of touching the toes. The general intent is to show as little of the tabi as is practical, with the requirements for walking. If your hakama prove to be too short, you may have to tie them on lower than usual in order to arrive at a reasonable compromise between hem and waist heights.

Incidentally, when walking up or down any stairs, you will need to lift the hem clear of your feet so you don't step on it and trip. Typically, I take hold of the two seams at the sides (where the 'V' forms) and hold them waist high, which usually keeps the entire hem clear (both in the front and back). When you're on level ground again, you can fuss with the pleats until they are neat again.

On men, the hakama is tied over the kaku-obi (3" width), which is worn at the hips, and somewhat pushed down in front. It might be permissible for you to wear a man's obi with the hakama, but if you prefer, perhaps a hanhaba obi (4"-6" wide) might also be apropriate. Whichever you wear, the waist should be level all the way round.

You could also do without one altogether. If you need help to temporarily hold the kimono closed when you are struggling with the ties, then use an obiage. After the hakama is securely tied in place, it can be easily removed. The second set of ties, would then go directly beneath the first.

Once everything is set to your satisfaction, reach underneath the hakama and pinch the back seam of the kimono several inches below the waist ties (or obi, if you are wearing one). As you pull it away from your body, take hold of the doubled thickness and push it under the ties or obi (whichever you are wearing).

This raises the back hem of the kimono and spreads the lower front lapels. Both changes will keep the feet clear of the kimono hem and thereby, ease walking. If you notice some folds along the exposed sides of the kimono, which the hakama doesn't cover, then we need to go back to the start to correct that.

Start by placing the center of the kimono's neck band on the crown of your head. Then overlap the front lapels and temporarily secure them with a cord, slightly higher then you intend to place the obi. When properly repositioned on the nape, a loose fold will form around the waist. Smooth and flatten this fold before the obi is wrapped over it in such a way that the lower edge is hidden beneath the obi. The cord can then be left in place or removed, according to your preference.

I don't recommend you do this unless you also wear a narrow obi of some kind. If you don't use the flat knot that is traditonal for the kaku-obi, then a simple butterfly/bow is possible. If it sticks out a bit, that's okay. The extra thickness in back will form a bustle of sorts, which is handy for resting the back board of the hakama upon. It also helps to raise the back hem, and separate the front pleats so they don't get kinked all the time.

As for the collar, yes it should be sewn on. Be certain to hide the stitching though, by using a blind hemming technique and make it long enough so that the ends will cross in front and be hidden by the outer kimono.

Good luck! Pictures would be appreciated. If you have more questions, send them along. Additional areas were also covered because they could influence your decision to wear no obi. As I've mentioned before, my practical experience on how a woman should go about dressing herself is largely missing. Some problems are common to men and women. These I can comment upon with a degree of surety.

Kiyoaki

[Kou Hiko]

I did a practice run on dressing in my hakama today after sewing on my date eri (it looks so cute! I'm proud of myself. I altered a juuban putting a white collar on it and made my own sleeves that could be adjusted to fit my furisode and chuuburisode! I'm happy ;D!) and I made my own kinchaku (purse) to go with it. Seeing it all together was so beautiful.

Today I tried it with a pink plain woven hanhaba obi tied in the kai no kuchi (men's knot). The rough texture of the obi helped the hakama stay on. I wrapped the front ties over the bow first to keep the front up, brought it to the front neatly and tied them under the bow and then took the back and put it over the bow and tied it in front in the way I saw in pictures. The only thing I didn't like was the lump it left on my back. I have a green tsuke (pre-tied) obi that matchs the hakama perfectly and I would like to use it, disregarding the bow part so it stays flat in back, but the silk is so smooth that the hakama slide off. I'll try it again because it looks so pretty.

I tried tieing it without the obi and it worked great but it made my waist so small and my hips curvy .

I went to a Japanese web site (http://www.e-shop.co.jp/hakama/) that rents out graduation hakama and it had lots of pictures of girls wearing them in traditional way. You can go there if you want to see what it looks like instead of me trying to discribe it. They all had date eri (which I now have ), kinchaku, some had zouri while some had old style boots, and they all had hanhaba obi that showed about an inch over the hakama and the obi usually matched the date eri. Also, the hems of the hakama came to the tops of their tabi rather than the way men wear them. In the book "The Story of the Kimono" by Jill Liddell (is that in the bibliography?) there is an old photo of girls in hakama, all of which had high set hakama at the tops of their tabi and high on the waist. This is how I wore it today and it looked just like the ones in the pictures.

I practiced on stairs today also. I think I got it right. But I'm not sure how to go up stairs in normal kimono. Going down is normal but going up I have to grab the tail of my kimono in front so I don't step on it. At school I do this too when I'm in a hurry to get to class. I'm so short that my juuban I usually wear is close to my ankles and I look like a maiko holding her skirt.

How should the fold of my kimono look through the "v" of the hakama? I just wear the kimono normally with the fold showing, only the hem was raised to my shins. The kimono is really long as it is and when it is raised even higher the fold got longer. I considered hiding it under the hanhaba obi but it looked so large and bulky and made the obi stick out of the "v's" like a sore thumb.

I like the look of the obi (especially my green one) under the hakama sticking out over the hakama's edge. It's much like the date eri on the collar--it looks crisp and stands out and like the date eri it's very attractive in my eyes. I also like the conveneince of having no obi but it lacks in elegance.

Also, from your discription, I still don't understand how the hem of the kimono should look under the hakama. I liked the way I did it because it was pretty much the same as usual. The idea of having it open in front makes me feel a little exposed, even if the hakama is there.

I do intend on showing pictures. If Ichiro-san and Yuka-san will let me, I'd like to add my pictures to their photo album. ;D

Thank you so much for all the information! It's been a big help.

Ja ne!

[Kou Hiko]

I did another practice round today and I decided I'm going to use my tsuke obi with out the bow part. Now all I need to do is figure out the mystery of how the kimono should look under hakama. I'm just worried about the kimono that shows through the "V" parts. Can you help?

P.S. I'm going to try and get my pictures taken this weekend.

[Kiyoaki]

Amanda,

I was going to hold off until tomorrow to reply to all your questions, but since you seem to need some practice time, I'll respond to the single question about shortening the kimono's length.

Normally, when the kimono is worn, the overlapping lapels make it difficult to walk. For women, that usually means a mincing, haltered gait. Men can get away with a more strident walk, but it's supposed to be 'un-feminine', for women to adopt such a stride.

The idea of hitching up the kimono in back (under the hakama) is intended to get around this difficulty. If you were wearing only the kimono, you could shorten it up by temporarily taking hold of the lapels in front (not the hem) and lifting them. You should bend slightly, and take hold of all the layers at knee height and raise them 12" or more. This will raise the hem safely above your heels too. If modesty is a concern, it might also help to walk up those stairs sideways.

If you wear hakama, you can't do that because the extra layer of fabric gets in the way. Maybe that's why the hakama shown at the rental site are set to clear the ankles. When you shorten the kimono beforehand, then you can deal with the hakama alone when the occasion demands it.

Shortening the back seam by tucking it under the obi, pulls the front lapels apart (underneath the hakama), so they will remain free of your feet. This method can produce some soft folds that show at the side of the hakama. If you don't like that look, then shorten the entire length before you wrap the obi, as long as it reaches below the "V" openings at the sides.

Kiyoaki

[Kou Hiko]

Thank you very much, Kyoaki-san. You've been a great help. I'm going to try and do what you suggest and I'll let you know how it works out.

Oyasumi nasai.

[Kou Hiko]

What about wearing an obi over the hakama? I've seen this done in anime and video games (like Final Fantasy X). I made an obi out of a silk curtain and saw that it matched my hakama, but since it was a fukuro obi, it was too big to go under the hakama. So why not over like in anime? I made a day of trying all different styles to wear the hakama and asked my fiance and friends what they thought. They all said they liked the obi on top the best. I agreed that it was cute (tied in the box bow) but I still liked the traditional look the best.

I think what I'm going to do is get my picture taken wearing it traditionally, and for the actual ceremony I'll wear the obi on top. That way I'll have traditional way in a picture and untraditional way (also pictured) at ceremony with my friends so I look extra cute.

What do you think?

P.S. Kiyoaki, is your name spelled Kyoaki or Kiyoaki?

[chiiyo]

I think that's   a great idea... though I'm not very sure what you mean about wearing obi over hakama in anime... is it possible to supply a few pictures?

*like Yuna in FFX is it?*

[Kiyoaki]

Amanda & Sophia,

This may not settle your question about what obi to wear with hakama, but allow me to inject a practical point into the discussion.

When women started to wear hakama in the Heian Period, they functioned like pants. Admittedly they were too long to be convenient, but their length was considered a status symbol, and status won out over practicality. Besides, women remained in doors or rode about in carriages. No obi was worn over the kosode before the hakama were added. Even the kosode were only 3/4 length because they never intended to be worn on their own. The ties alone were used to keep the kosode closed. Probably, the custom of tying on the front portion first is related to this eary function.

Outside of that one period, the only other time women wore hakama, was when they rode horses, and normally only daughters of samurai origin were interested in doing that. She did not attempt to adapt the red 'naga-bakama' by cinching up the cuffs or adopt the modern solution of rolling the hems up like blue jeans. Instead, those women wore men's clothing because all the problems of cut and fullness had been solved beforehand.

If we look at the evolution of the hakama as worn by men, the original style was also divided with some kind of easing for the joining of the separate pant legs. In the settled times of the Edo Period, the functionality of the separate legs eventually disappeared. The pleated skirt, which resembled the earlier style came into fashion, perhaps because it was easier to construct and required a bit less fabric.

Whatever its' origins, today the skirt form is the standard for formal wear. Now that women have elbowed their way into the male domain by adopting the haori as their own (a change that only dates back to the Meiji/Taisho Eras), and are also wearing the hakama more often, the mixing the two styles has led to all these questions.

Wearing a maru obi atop everything makes less sense then under the hakama. But, wearing a hanhaba obi under the hakama makes better sense that the usual woman's obi. Still, wearing no obi at all, makes even better sense than any other arrangement.

Personal appearance may be a matter of individual taste, but mixing styles through ignorance is not the same thing. Does wearing pants and a skirt at the same time look like personal style or folly? Does a wide obi make any sense when worn over either type of hakama?

Kiyoaki

[Kou Hiko]

For a picture of graduation kimono worn how it should be, look at Jyunko-san's picture in the new staffs section of Ichiroya. The yellow band at the top of the hakama is the top of the hanhaba obi.

For obi over hakama, look at Sakura Taisen (Sakura Wars). Here are two sites that I found with okay pictures.

www.anglefire.com/ne/nekoreviews/sakura.html
www.jasms.de/anime/sw/sw_start.html

The first is a small full body pic showing the hakama and the back of the obi. The second is in a language I don't know and has a pic of the side showing the open side of the hakama and up.

Hope that helps.

[Misti]

Hello Kou Hiko,

Maybe this site will help you dress properly:

www.ohata-jp.com/hakama/hakama.html

It showes how to dress the kimono and obi and the hakama, it will not slip of when tied like this.

Greetings Misti