Sunday, July 29, 2007

Wearing Kimono: Men's Yukata

I love guys in yukata, particularly if the outfit leans towards a vintage look, like a soft heko obi or a western hat thrown into the mix. My husand doesn't like how heko obi look but he does like hats. This was taken right before we went to Misawa's Tanabata Festival, where it was raining and grey, but the beer was still good!



Kai no Kuchi Musubi is Clam's Mouth Knot. Very simple, yet elegant. The print on the obi shows a KAMA or hand-scythe. The circle is the kanji for "WA" which can be read as harmony and the last charcter is the syllabic alphabet character "nu". It's sort of like a rebus. You read the three as "kamawanu" which translates to "no worries" or "carefree". It's exact date of origin is unclear, but it's pretty old, because because the kabuki actor, Dandyuro Ichikawa the 7th (1791-1859) used it for his own family mark.

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Tanabata Yukata Nai!

Today is Tanabata, but we couldn't find the Tanabata Festival anywhere in Misawa.
So I didn't get to wear a yukata today.