I have always found Toma-san's website to be an invaluable resource on everything from obi musubi to folding hakama to cleaning tips, all clearly illustrated with what I can only assume are Toma-san's drawings. The problem is that whatever font our dear Toma-san uses can't be read by my computer (I've heard others complaining of the same problem)--so navigation can be an issue. Often I think, "Oh, Toma-san's haori himo tutorial would be useful right now!", only to have to plow through the entire site to find it. So I decided, for my own edification and possibly the edification of others, to make a guide for her website.
The pages of text do respond to translation sites.

This is worth skimming over even for the most accomplished kitsuke artist. Some of Toma-san's tips are very illuminating. Her pages may answer any lingering questions you've had, or satisfy your curiosity about areas you haven't yet tried for yourself.

Section One: Website related Links
http://www3.rocketbbs.com/731/tomasan.html : Guest book and comments page.
http://kent.parks.jp/32/tomasan/bbs.cgi : Kimono bulletin board
http://w6.oekakies.com/p/tomasan/p.cgi : A bulletin board where you can draw a picture and post it as a comment (This has a Japanese name that I can't remember to save my life. If anyone knows the word, please tell me. EDIT: The word is "oekaki." Thank you, emberly!)
http://imbbs5.net4u.org/sr3_bbss.cgi?cat=33898tomasan : Another comment board wherein the users can add photos.

Section Two: Basic Kitsuke and Obi Musubi
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/tansu/kimono1.html : Komono.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/kitemiyou/kitemiyou.html : Juban and kimono kitsuke.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/otaiko/otaiko.html : Otaiko Musubi tutorial.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/nijutaiko/niju.html : Nijuudaiko Musubi tutorial (A variation of the otaiko musubi meant for longer, more formal obi. This style of otaiko is usually used when wearing kurotomesode, for example.)
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/kawaritaiko.html : Two cute variations of the otaiko musubi.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/tunodasi/tunodasi.html : Naomi's favorite musubi, the tsunodashi.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/point.html : A tip on folding up the excess obi under the obi makura.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/kouken.html : Kouken Musubi (This is the style worn by Asakusa furisode-san.)
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/komono/honmusubi.html : Tying obijime and obiage.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/yukata-m-obi.html : Men's yukata obi musubi.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/yukata-m-kituke.html : Men's yukata kitsuke.

Section Three: Yukata Kitsuke and Obi Musubi
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/yukata/1.html : Women's yukata kitsuke.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/yukata/obimusubi.html : Bunko Musubi.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/yukata-obi.html : Variations and ideas for yukata obi musubi.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/yukata-obi2.html : More yukata obi musubi.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/yukata/obimusubi2.html : A style of yukata obi musubi wherein the trailing end is flipped back over the top (if anyone knows the name of this one, please do tell.)
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/yukata/chox2.html : Double bow yukata obi musubi.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/yukata-men.html : A repeat of the men's yukata links from above.

Section Four: More Complex Kitsuke
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/hakama.html : Hakama kitsuke.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/hakama-w.html : Women's hakama kitsuke.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/hakama-m.html : Men's hakama kitsuke.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/furisode.html : Several furisode musubi, including fukura suzume and tateya, with variations.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/haorihimo.html : Tying men's haori himo.

Section Five: Children's Kitsuke
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/753.html : Shichi-Go-San.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/753otoko.html : Go (Boy's kitsuke).
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/753onna3.html : San (Young girl's kitsuke).
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/753onna7.html : Shichi (Girl's kitsuke).
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/obi7.html : A style of obi musubi appropriate for Shichi-go-san, including formal obiage tying for shibori obiage and tying shigoki obi.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/age.html : Making tucks in an adult kimono to make it suitable for a child (This link could be useful for anyone who wants to convert a furisode into a maiko-style kimono).
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/sodetoji.html : Making an adult kimono's sleeve shorter for a child.

Section Six: Folding and cleaning
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/tatamikata.html : Kimono.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/tatamikata2.html : Juban.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/nagoya_shunou.html : Nagoya Obi.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/himo.html : Hakama.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/oteire.html : Cleaning tips.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/tomesode.html : Formal Kimono.

Section Seven: More Complex Kitsuke
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/hosei.html : Padding.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/haneri.html : Sewing on a han-eri.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/komono/komono.html : Obijime variations and date eri tutorial.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/oj.html : Obiage tips.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/kairyoumakura.html : Using a Kairyou Makura (This is apparently a makura that makes otaiko musubi easier to tie).
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/kairyoumakura-f.html : Using a kairyou makura to tie a nijuudaiko musubi.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/komono/obikanagu.html : Using a clip to assist in tying otaiko musubi (This looks like it could perhaps be helpful if your obi is short).
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/kazarihi ... ihimo.html : Tying a "kazari himo," which is a cord ornament usually seen on furisode obi.

Section Eight: Making Kimono Comfortable
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/kotu.html : Detailed kitsuke tips.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/ohashori.html : Ohashori tips.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/hakimono.html : Tips on making geta and zori more comfortable.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/tukuriobi.html : Tsuke or Tsukuri (Pre-tied) Obi.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/yuki.html : Widening the kimono by removing the sleeves.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/kimonotpo/wc.html : Going to the bathroom in kimono.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/hikinuki.html : Tying a hikinuki obi (Please see these threads for more information about hikinuki obi: http://www.immortalgeisha.com/ig_bb/vie ... php?t=8321 and http://www.immortalgeisha.com/ig_bb/vie ... php?t=8272 )

Section Nine: Kimono Overview
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/kimono-5.html : Weights of fabric with regard to season (includes information about the kimono, obi, juban, and haori.)
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/kimono3-1.html : Further information about obi, obijime, and obiage.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/nagoya.html : Construction of a nagoya obi.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/tpo.html : Types of kimono with their appropriate "TPO" (Time, Place, Opportunity), essentially for what events they should be worn.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/iroawase.html : Thoughts about coordination.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/hakimono2.html : TPO for geta and zori.
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/tansu/meisho.html : Parts of a kimono.

Hope y'all find Toma-san's site as enjoyable and illuminating as I do.

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We're so feral.

Wow! Thanks for all the links! This is awesomeeee!

Wow, thanks bebemochi, for your hard work! I'm sure it will be immensely appreciated.

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To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong. - Joseph Chilton Pearce

bebemochi, thank you SO MUCH for making Toma-san's great resource easier to use!

Isn't the word you're looking for, for the picture-messangerboard, an oekaki? I love those things.  :lovelove

Very helpful... I think I'm going to save the whole website onto my laptop, for on-the-go kitsuke/musubi help. ;3

EMBERLY, THAT'S IT! Thank you so much. I beat Google to a pulp for an hour trying to remember that word.

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We're so feral.

Wow this must have taken hours to put together, this is now one of my favorite resources

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Bebemochi, I love you forever!  Arigatou!!  *bows*

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"Moshi moshi?  I'm hip-deep in silk right now, and I may have accidentally tied my left arm behind my back.  Can I call you back later?"
-from an afternoon of kitsuke practice
http://lanthir44.deviantart.com/

Thank you so much! With this list of links I can see exactly what information can be found where. I didn't even know of this website before and would have never been able to browse it...I took a look and already saw a lot of fairly useful and, for me, completely new information. Must have been hard work collecting all these links, but we are grateful!  :smil3:

bebemochi - i'm the same way! I can usually make my way through japanese websites, since I'm now able to recognize some of the kanji for kimono kitsuke. but oh my stars it can be tiresome! kkk

thank you so much for doing this for us  :lovelove

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Does anyone understand this better than I do? Especially the thing with the ribbon (in the first pictures), it looks like it has something to do with dealing with excess fabric...also the ohashori tips page linked here. I'm thinking it might be something useful but I wish I could understand at least the text on the pictures.

And what about the other pictures on this page? Especially the third picture (with the yellow kimono), it seems to be something about ohashori but what?

Okay...I'll give this a try.

The picture and text on top go over the details of the ohashori--things you need to be sure of, things that might cause trouble elsewhere in your kitsuke (collar, collar, collar).

The picture on the bottom explains how, when dealing with a kimono too long for you (or in which the ohashori is too bulky for any reason), you can make a second tuck in the innermost okumi/body panel, effectively shortening it so that the front ohashori, as far down as will be visible under the obi, consists of only one layer. (Puffy ohashori are not ideal ohashori.)

As for how I can read it--without being literate in Japanese--the secret lies in machine translation. Go to Google (or Alta Vista, or the tool of your choice) and use the Language Tools (bottom of the page on the first search page) to magically decode a (narrow but widening) variety of languages into English. There's even (I love, love, love this--it seems to be new, and it's definitely well-hidden) a Translation Browser Button you can pop onto your Favorites toolbar now. Check it out here.

--Bai "I, for one, welcome our Google overlords" Mianxi

I'll try to explain, too.

In this picture, Toma-san is telling you how to make your ohashori neat. What you do is, after you've tied your waist/hips himo but before you tie your bust himo, slide your hands through the armholes of your kimono so that they're inside both layers of your kimono. Plane your hands down to smooth out the underlayer and make your ohashori nice and flat.
She doesn't depict it, but you can also slide your hands around to your ohashori in the back and do the same.
This is an optional but highly recommended kitsuke tip.


This shows a way to smooth the inside of your kimono should you need it. If you notice that when you put on kimono, the inside layer is all bulky, you can fold it up as shown. The red line at the bottom is the waist/hips himo, which will be under all the layers.
This is optional.

Bai's prettymuch got it for the top picture on this page: http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~tomasan/kotu.html


This is showing how to tuck up excess fabric under your arms. Almost all people have this issue, no matter their size. The easiest picture to understand is the circle with the thick black line around it--the circle represents your body and the line your kimono.
After you tie your bust himo/put on your korin belt, slide all the excess fabric that's across your back under your arms. (I do this by finding my center back seam, making sure it's centered, then sliding my thumbs upunder my himo, then pushing all the fabric to my sides with my thumbs.)
Under your arms, the fabric will sort of want to make a tuck. The fold should go on top pointing backwards. Does that make sense? It's a very difficult concept to illustrate or explain.
This is an optional but highly recommended tip. Although a lot of the excess fabric won't be visible because of your obi, it makes the way the front and back of your kimono lie much neater and prettier.


This explains what to do if your kimono is a bit short. Toma-san seams to suggest wearing the himo lower and using something that is close to the color of your kimono.

The next picture I don't really understand. She's talking about how the skirt lies. I think that she's saying that if a kimono is so narrow that the okumi edge will only lie at the front center of your body, you shouldn't bother wearing the kimono. The rest I don't understand.

The final picture I'm not clear on, either. She's talking about what to do if your juban is a bit small. I believe her advice is, after adjusting the collar to the correct angle in the front, firmly tie it down with a datejime. Then pull the back to make the proper gap between the neck and the collar.

For translations to English, I use nifty.
http://tool.nifty.com/globalgate/
The top text box will allow you to input text you want translated. Choose "日本語 > 英語," (Japanese to English) which is the second one down.
Farther down, you'll see a text box that has "http://" already in it. That's a field where you can input URLs.

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We're so feral.

Many thanks both! I'm definitely going to try some of these tips now that I understand them a bit better. And thanks for the translation links. Didn't try Bebemochi's link yet but at least Bai Mianxi's seems to work well. Hehe, I've been truly frustrated about owning a second-hand computer and not being able to install Japanese fonts...but that translation tool works even without them, apparently. Good! Even if the translator in me squirms inwardly at the sight of machine translation

Wow! Thanks for posting! I love her site, but it is so hard to navigate without the summaries. This really is a great resource!!!

Just bumping this amazing all-around resource up.

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am I he only one who can't read anything of this site?
everything is like:
Špo‚µ—p‚Ì‘Ñ–‚ÍŒà•ž‰®‚³‚ñ‚âƒfƒp[ƒg‚È‚Ç‚ÅŽè‚É“ü‚è‚Ü‚·‚ªAŠÈ’P‚ÉŽ©•ª‚ōì‚鎖‚ào—ˆ‚Ü‚·‚Ì‚Å‚±‚̍ہAì‚Á‚Ä‚µ‚Ü‚¢‚Ü‚µ‚傤II(^O^)/
V•·Ž†‚ðˆê–‡—pˆÓ‚µ‚Ä‚­‚¾‚³‚¢B
c‚É‚S‚‚ɐ܂è‚Ü‚·B
×’·‚­‚È‚Á‚½V•·‚ðŽO‚ƒ‚ˆÊ‚Ì•‚Å‚­‚é‚­‚é‚Ɛ܂èAŠª‚¢‚Ä‚¢‚«‚Ü‚·B
‚Q‚O~‚R‚ƒ‚ˆÊ‚Ì–_ó‚É‚È‚Á‚½‚çAƒe[ƒv‚ȂǂŌŒ肵‚Ü‚·B
‚±‚ê‚ðA‚P‚T‚O‚ƒ‚ˆÊ‚ɐ؂Á‚½ƒK[ƒ[‚Å‚­‚é‚݁A—¼’[‚ð—ÖƒSƒ€‚È‚Ç‚Å‚µ‚Á‚©‚è‚Æ—¯‚ß‚Ü‚·
Š®¬I‘ÑŒ‹‚Ñ‚ðŽn‚ß‚é‘O‚É‘Ñ—g‚°‚ð‚©‚¯‚ĖȃSƒ€‚È‚Ç‚ÅŽ~‚ß‚Ä‚¨‚­‚Æ•Ö—˜‚Å‚·ô

and I CAN read japanese in my computer

No, you're not the only one. This is a quite regular problem with this site.
You can see the original characters though, if you translate the site with e.g. google (type in the url) and then switch from "show translation" to "show original".
You'll still have the toolbar of google translate as header, but you can browse on the site while seeing the japanese writing

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Tank you very much!
that really help!
and it helped me find another method you just have to change the codification to Japanese Shift_JIS, and that's it!