Maruobi (丸帯)

"Maruobi" is a kind of women's obi (sash) used in Japan.

It is made by folding a broad textile (about 68 cm) into half and sewing it.

It is used for formal dress, but it is heavy and hard to handle because it is folded with an obishin (obi padding, which is made of sail cloth) placed inside it. Therefore, it is seldom used at present other than by the people of karyukai (world of the geisha), such as geisha and maiko (apprentice geisha), or for bridal dress.

[Original Japanese]