Sleeve Lengths

The sleeves of kimonos convey important infomation, indicating very important situations or status. Additionally, kimono sleeves can be used functionally as pockets.

Unmarried Adult Woman, Extreamly Formal Occasion, Geiko and Makio

Adult Man

Married Adult Woman

Married Adult Woman Formal Occasion

Unmarried Adult Woman, Very Formal Occasion

Geiko Ichiteru, Naosome and Katsue

‘In Memoriam: Onihide’

Geisha’s mainly wear the Hikizuri kimono It is quite long, compared to regular kimono, because the skirt is supposed to trail along the floor. Susohiki literally means “trail the skirt”. Where a normal kimono for women is normally 1.5–1.6 m (4.9–5.2 ft) long, a susohiki can be up to 2 m (6.6 ft) long. This is also why geisha and maiko lift their kimono skirt when walking outside, also to show their beautiful under-kimono. Often times a hikizuri will have a second hem attached called a Hiyoku (比翼) to prevent the main part of the kimono from becoming dirty. The hiyoku can then be switched out and cleaned when necessary.

Contrasting, Geishas wear shorter sleeved kimonos as a sign that they are mature women who no longer need to grab attention with their flashy outfits. When it comes to special events, such as misedashi and erikae, geisha and maiko will don the most formal outfits that their okiya owns called Kuromontsuki (黒 紋付). Meaning “Black Crested Garment,” it is a black kimono that features five of the okiya’s crests and lucky motifs. Such common motifs include cranes for fidelity, turtles for longevity, and pine trees for strength.

An obi belt is a long decorative belt that is wrapped around the body to hold together a Japanese kimono. They have no fastening, and instead are tied together in a bow or other attractive knot. For women, the obi is tied around the abdomen, whereas for men it is lower, around the waist or above the hips. When first originated the obi was tied as a simple belt at the front, this way it was also easier to tie as you could see what you were doing. However, as the obi ties became more flambouent and bigger and the ties became more elaborate it got in the way of everyday tasks so was moved to the back by the 20th centry. The major types of Japanese obi belt are: Maru Obi, Fukuro Obi, Hanhaba Obi, Nagoya Obi, Heko Obi and Kaku Obi. Maiko wear a very long obi called Darari or Maru obi (だらり 帯, “dangling obi”). These usually feature the crest of the geisha house she is affiliated with and can be 600 centimetres (20 ft) long.