Over the years we have noticed that the majority of books dedicated to Japanese kimono and the art of kitsuke tend to be focused on feminine attire. With the countless ways in which one can tie an obi, is it any wonder that there are books full of hundreds of styles and methods to tie them? All the same men's attire is deceptively simple looking and we have been on the hunt for a book that would help enlighten us to some of the finer details of kitsuke for masculine styles.

Did you know that Walt Disney has a limited official line of yukata and even furisode that they occasionally produce for a short period of time? These official Walt Disney kimono are highly sought after by collectors, as the designs typically are only able to be purchased at the Tokyo Disney park in Japan, and the designs are all limited edition. These are NOT sold in the USA at Epcot. Imagine our delight what we got 1 of these very rare yukata in stock! What we have acquir

We just returned from an amazing day at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Fort Wayne, Indiana! This epic 1 day event is focused on many aspects of Japanese culture and includes many free hands on activities suitable for all ages: cosplay contest, anime art contest, origami, taiko drumming, tea ceremony, Japanese food, and of course a Japanese shopping market! This is the largest Japanese festival in Indiana, and several near by states. At this show we setup our single largest bo

This weekend is the Cherry Blossom Festival in Fort Wayne, Indiana. For 1 day downtown Fort Wayne Indiana becomes a cultural hub that is full of a wide range of activities such as bonsai displays, haiku poetry contests, cosplay, taiko drumming, tea ceremony, and more! We will be attending with our extra large double booth setup, and are excited to be back. If you want to shop in person with us, this is a GREAT event to come shop with us at - admission is FREE! We will have a

You might have recently seen our latest blog post about DIY designing your own obi, and even Japanese kimono. In case you missed the article, you can check it out here: https://www.ohiokimono.com/single-post/2018/05/03/Guide-Design-your-own-obi-and-kimono A few customers picked up their DIY obi from us, and already someone has begun to worn on creating their own custom obi. Check out what one of our customers is working on! She had seen an obi similar to this, and had reall

Recently we were approached by a young lady to help her out. She had gotten great grades in High School and as such her parent let her purchase what she wanted for Prom: a kimono. Not just any kimono but she wanted to wear a furisode, and did. After her purchase, she went on to learn how to dress herself in kimono and enjoyed a great time at Prom. She even appeared in the local news paper! #promkimono #japanesekimono #kimono #furisode #wafuku #kitsuke #OhioKimono #buykimono

Black is easily one of the most beloved colors. Alas, when it comes to Japanese kimono black is generally reserved for formal occasions. More so, solid black is called mofuku which is considered funeral attire for mourning. The Japanese have made it politely clear that mofuku should not be casually worn, and is reserved for mourning. So what is a lover of the color black to do? Fear not, it is possible to rock out your little heart decked out in your favorite color black!

If someone were to ask us what is one of the most commonly sought after and collected themes among Japanese kimono we would have a few themes to rattle off. Sadly many of the highly desired themes are fairly rare. However there is only very popular theme that is not as difficult to acquire as say...yokai. That theme would be rabbits, or as the Japanese know them as Usagi. All through Japanese folklore rabbits have a presence, and play a variety of roles. Most notable, is th

Our company has long engaged in efforts to support various important charities such as donation of school supplies to an inner city school for children in need, cancer research, and feeding American children from difficult and low income backgrounds. Over the years we have pondered an idea for a way to raise money for various important charities and are going to move forward on an idea we have: Char-Obi-ties. Char-Obi-ties will raise money for important causes such as suic

Have you ever wanted to create your own obi or Japanese kimono? Do you have a mofuku obi or kimono in your collection and want to make it into something you can wear outside of funeral attire? Over the years, we have observed a trend in Japan that is quite simply taking solid colored obi and kimono and painting them. We have even seen things like rhinestones and lace added to kimono. Mofuku pieces in particular are ideal for these kinds of projects. The Japanese have expres

This past weekend we had a great time being a part of the Chicago Samurai Sword Show. We offered identification services for Japanese textiles, and sold japanese kimono at the show. We hope to return to the show in 2019. Here are a few photos from the second day of the show. There was an amazing selection of antique swords, tsuba, research books, kimono, and more at the show. #ChicagoSamuraiSwordShow #japanesekimono #Chicagokimono #samuraiswordshow

This weekend we are excited to be in the Chicago area, and are proud to be a part of one of the most prestigious shows in North America dedicated to Japanese blades! This weekend we are selling Japanese kimono and antique samurai armor shrines at the Chicago Area Japanese Collectibles And Sword Show. From April 27th to 29th we will be at the show, and will have a selection of higher end stock tailored more toward collectors of Japanese arts. If you love Japanese swords this s

This April our small family business turned 9 years old. It has been a long journey, one filled with lots of travel and great customers. Our business originally started as a graduation project for the company owner as she was finishing her business degree in college. First we began with travelling to tea rooms and libraries as a part of an educational effort to help teach the public about how to wear traditional Japanese kimono. Later, our first humble booth was hosted at Bas

Thanks for a fun Tekko 2018! We had a great time checking out cosplayers, and meeting new customers. The show was slow enough that we were able to dedicate a lot of 1 on 1 time to helping out everyone with their kitsuke questions and needs. Over the weekend we took a few photos of our customers, and of various cosplayers who visited our booth. Check out this gallery of photos to get a small sample of Tekko! #Tekko #Tekko2018 #Kimono #JapaneseKimono #Kitsuke #Kitsune #KimonoC

Are you on the hunt for affordable obidome that match your taste and personality? Are you struggling to find more obscure themes such as spiderwebs, snowflakes, moons, gears, and skulls? Check out our new line of handmade obidome, which we personally handmade ourselves. Each obidome is a unique work of art, full of tiny hand placed details that will be a perfect addition to your kitsuke tool box. Check them out in our store: https://www.ohiokimono.com/product-page/silver-bras