This listing is for a traditional fukuro style obi from the kimono collection of Toshiko Toland.  See below for more on the life of this accomplished woman.  

This obi features a brilliant gold bishamon kikko  (three connected hexagons) motif, which is associated with good fortune.  The black and white borders add an elegance and richness to the design. Expertly woven. It would have been worn to formal or semi-formal events.

This is a fukuro obi - wide for the entire length, plain on the backside and a patterned design only on the front. There is a one yard "blank" section on the front, as is common with contemporary fukuro obi, where some cost can be saved by leaving it blank where the first wrap layer of the belt portion occurs, since it doesn't show to the public. 

Toshiko Toland was a journalist, editor, translator and wife of John Toland, author of "The Rising Sun", the Pulitzer Prize General Non-Fiction winner in 1971. She was instrumental in the writing of this book, but it was only one of her many accomplishments.  She passed away in December 2024 and her family consigned her kimono and obi collection to us in the hopes that the pieces will find new homes and be lovingly worn or displayed. Click here to learn more about Toshiko-san.

See the videos below to learn about the different styles of obi as well as ways to use them in your decor. If you're interested in purchasing an obi to display, consider our 30" display rods.