With the days counting down until The Year in Kimono was to begin, I was lucky to find the Hakubi School, quite close to my house in Tokyo, still offering beginner classes on how to wear kimono. The Hakubi School offers "comprehensive study of Japanese culture," including how to make a kimono. It is here I began my study of Kitsuke (how to wear a kimono).
私は「着物の一年」が始まる前にハクビ総合学院の着付けクラスに通うことを決めた。ハクビ総合学院は「日本で最も伝統のある老舗教室」である。自分で着物を着られるようになることを目指して「着付け」を学ぶことにした。
In the quiet, sun-filled tatami room, my sensei revealed the inner secrets of kimono. First piece of knowledge was that kimono is meant to flatten the shape between waist and hips, which is more prominent in some western builds (including my own) than in Japanese bodies. Curves are not part of the aesthetic of kimono (think h-shaped figure rather than hourglass) because the obi (waist sash) won't lay flat if there are natural curves.
この静かな教室で先生が着物の秘密を私に教えてくれた。最初に習ったことは「着物はウェイストとヒップスの間を一つの形に締める」ということだった。ウェイストとヒップスがはっきり見えるスタイルは私みたいな西洋人の体の形だが、日本人の女性の体は違う。着物はCのカーブよりまっすぐしたHのようなスタイルを目指しているのだ。
For almost 2 hours, she explained which pieces went where and demonstrated how to put on a kimono, by oneself, including how to tie a hoso obi (half width obi). Most obi are 30 cms/12'' wide, but hoso obi are about half that, making it easier for a beginner to tie.
The Hakubi School's Kitsuke course will teach me not only how to wear a kimono, but also the culturally correct manners and movements that are essential to wearing a kimono. I start in the middle of January and will attend 3-classes a month for 6-months! My goal, in addition to learning more about the kimono itself and how to tie different obi bows, is to 'master' the art of dressing myself. I'd like to be able to get dressed in under 10 minutes.
先生は２時間ぐらい私に着付けのことを詳しく説明してくれた。最初に習ったことは細帯の付け方だった。普通の帯は30cm/12”だが細帯はそれの半分なのでビギナーが付けるのにはもっと簡単。ハクビ学院の着付けコースは着付けを学ぶだけではなく、正しい歩き方やマナーを先生から習うこともできる。１月から本格的に始まり、６ヶ月間月３回ハクビ学院に通うことを決めた。
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