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

Fukuro obi are patterned on only one side and are the full 14" width throughout. They are worn for formal occasions and can "dress up" a less formal kimono to make it appropriate for a more formal event. There is a one-meter long "blank" section on the front of the obi where it would be hidden under the top layer wound around the waist. This is a savings in the cost of the item and can also make it a bit lighter to wear.

This obi is an unusual coral-rust color as the background, with a shippo (overlapping circle) design in a deeper burgundy. On top of that is a series of mirrored cranes in a diamond shape - turquoise, bright yellow, and white. An unusual color combination that seems so vintage!

Excellent condition (though there is one small hole, see photo), silk, and within the typical fukuro measurements: approximately 11 feet long in total and 14 inches wide. The "blank" section on the front of this obi is the same as the back side - the coral rust color. See videos to learn more about other obi styles as well as display ideas.

The Fuller Collection - originally over 2000 pieces - 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 and obi. Richard saw that the mastery and artisanship of traditional Japanese textile techniques was waning - threatening to die out all together - which sparked his mission to promote this industry and preserve what he could.

Together with his wife Janith, Richard invested in thousands of kimono and obi, opening Wind Whisper West, a kimono Gallery in Wabasha 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.
...