Dragon Scale Darari
The second obi that arrived in my house this week was this lovely Taisho Period Darari. I stumbled upon it on YJA a few months back and won it for all of 200 Yen. That's equal to maybe $5 USD. It's got some damages, but considering the price I snagged it for, and the fact that it's nearly 100 years old, it was one of my all time best kimono buys. This darari is also a chuuya obi in that it has a more formal filled in crest on one side and a less formal open crest on the other. I believe that this obi was at one point shortened and narrowed to hide previous damage because the crest is just slightly off centre, and I can just barely see through the fabric on one side, a blue line that would have marked the end of the obi. It's now tucked up inside under the crest.
This obi creates a slightly shorter darari knot that my modern darari. Not quite short enough for han-darari, but stubby enough for a tiny maiko. It's such an incredibly adorable stubby darari.
I named this my Dragon Scale Darari because the seigaiha pattern reminds me of dragon scales and its probably the closest I'll ever get to owning my dream darai: one with dragons on it.
Dragon Scale Darari
The second obi that arrived in my house this week was this lovely Taisho Period Darari. I stumbled upon it on YJA a few months back and won it for all of 200 Yen. That's equal to maybe $5 USD. It's got some damages, but considering the price I snagged it for, and the fact that it's nearly 100 years old, it was one of my all time best kimono buys. This darari is also a chuuya obi in that it has a more formal filled in crest on one side and a less formal open crest on the other. I believe that this obi was at one point shortened and narrowed to hide previous damage because the crest is just slightly off centre, and I can just barely see through the fabric on one side, a blue line that would have marked the end of the obi. It's now tucked up inside under the crest.
This obi creates a slightly shorter darari knot that my modern darari. Not quite short enough for han-darari, but stubby enough for a tiny maiko. It's such an incredibly adorable stubby darari.
I named this my Dragon Scale Darari because the seigaiha pattern reminds me of dragon scales and its probably the closest I'll ever get to owning my dream darai: one with dragons on it.