This listing is for a vintage Japanese nagoya style obi from the Fuller Collection. See below for details on this exceptional group of Japanese textiles.

Nagoya obi have a specialized shape - folded and sewn to a 6-7" width for the portion that wraps around the waist but left wide (13-14") for about one yard at the end which would be tied into an elaborate bow.

This obi features the type of brocade usually reserved for a more formal maru obi.  Perhaps it was converted from that style to a nagoya style, which is easier to wrap, tie, and wear.

The vibrant colors of this obi challenge the idea that it could be over 60 years old.  The patterning is traditional and would have been popular in the 1950s (possibly earlier), but again the turquoise detail in the imperial cart shade and the vibrant blue and red of the crane are not typical of older vintage obi.  Another nod to the age and history of the piece is the backing on the bow portion:  it may have been salvaged from another obi and would not be visible once the obi bow is tied.

See videos below on the different styles of obi as well as ideas for displaying them. If you need a short wooden hanging rod to display your obi, add one (option above) when ordering.

The Fuller Collection – originally over 2000 kimono – was the passion and pride of Richard Fuller of Chicago, IL and Wabasha, MN. Richard served as a US Marine in post-war Japan, and there began his love of and appreciation for vintage Japanese kimono – especially wedding kimono. Richard saw that the mastery and artisanship of traditional Japanese textile techniques was waning – threatening to die out altogether – which sparked his mission to promote this industry and preserve what he could. Click here to read one of his interviews.

Together with his wife Janith, Richard invested in thousands of kimono and obi, opening Wind Whisper West, a kimono gallery in Wabasha, MN in 2003. Most of the collection was sold there, but several hundred pieces remain. Richard passed in 2020, and Janith has consigned the remainder of the collection to Kyoto Kimono to offer through our website. We are honored and proud to be stewarding the Fuller Collection as each piece finds its new home and continues to bring wonder and beauty to admirers around the world.