Fundoshi is the ultimate DIY underclothes -- the Earth's oldest garment still in use! Learning to tie your own fundoshi is easier than learning to tie a necktie.
FUNDOSHI is a garment whose main history is in Japan. Fundoshi is simply a three-yard piece of cloth, 10-15 inches wide, wrapped around the legs and waist in a way which is both secure and sensual. Over 2,000 years of history are represented by fundoshi.
Fundoshi differ from underwear in that fundoshi is "the whole suit of clothes" -- often all that laborers, festival-goers, and swimmers wear. Fundoshi are famous as the first layer worn by ninja and samurai, as the garb of fearsome tattoo-clad Yakuza, and as the uniform of the mighty Taiko drummers. Unlike underwear, wearing a fundoshi on its own represents purity and freedom from shame.
After World War II, fundoshi became less common due to the new availability of Western-style briefs. The last two decades have seen a dramatic renewal in fundoshi popularity and interest -- and not just in Japan.
You can easily make your fundoshi at home: just tear any lightweight fabric lengthwise -- no need for scissors, no need to sew or hem anything! White is the most common color, however your fundoshi can be ANY color or pattern you can imagine! A three-yard piece of cloth from the fabric store will yield several fundoshi (your average price is a couple dollars apiece.) Coupled with comfort, this makes fundoshi a practical, economical, environmentally sensitive choice.
A great deal has been made of "the original menswear." However, liberated women wear fundoshi too! Women and men who wear fundoshi stand out as daring and unique.
this is Japanese celebrity Miyazawa Maiko. She is beautiful.
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*PLEASE BE AWARE: fundoshi are a national symbol in Japan and an item of traditional pride. There is a great deal of refinement and ceremony surrounding what seems to be an incidental garment. Many are offended by gaijin (that's you if you aren't from Japan) adopting fundoshi -- you'll notice that accounts by Westerners participating in Hadaka Matsuri (annual festivals where fundoshi are worn) usually contain giggly humor at best and borderline racist comments at worse. Please be culturally sensitive when wearing, discussing, or making/selling fundoshi.------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------
[Here's a step-by-step slideshow showing a simple way to wear fundoshi. There are written instructions to go along with the pictures in our photo albums. Don't worry if it takes a little practice! Practicing with a partner can actually be lots of fun.]
Slideshow