What size does my kimono have to be?

Kimono are very often sold as “free size” or “one size”. But unfortunately, that’s not true. Let’s take a look at what you need when buying your first kimono. Find out more about your correct kimono size and you will see that it is more or less complicated than you might think.

First things first…

If you want to have fun in kimono and style it in a non-traditional way, then kimono you don’t have to worry about the size at all. However, if you want to take classes with me and learn the proper way of putting on a kimono, then you need a kimono that fits.

What sizes are important?

There are especially 3 sizes that you want to look at when buying a kimono that fits.

The first size is the length of your kimono. This length is called “mitake (身丈)” for female kimono. 身 (mi) means “body” and 丈 (take) means “length”. So, as the name tells this length has to equal the length of your body.

Length of kimono = Your height +/–3cm

If you wonder know, why does it have to be so long? And if it won’t drag on the floor?

Kimono has a long history and the way of putting it on as well as the shape of the kimono itself has changed over centuries. You need all of this length to put on a kimono as it is done today. If you want to attend my classes, I really recommend to find a kimono in your length.

The other 2 important sizes

The remaining 2 sizes that are important is the width of the kimono. Traditionally the full width of a kimono is divided in 6 pieces. There are 2 okumi (衽), 2 maehaba (前幅) and 2 ushirohaba (後ろ幅).

Okumi are the narrow second front panels that have a width of 15cm. Maehaba is the front width which is measured from side seam to the seam where the okumi is attached. Ushirohaba is the back width measured from center back seam to side seam.

The width of maehaba and ushirohaba will change according to your hip circumference. Here is how to calculate them.

Maehaba = hip circumference x 0.25 + 1cm

Ushiro haba = (hip circumference – maehaba) x 0.5

Keep in mind that plus sized kimono are rare. Although having a kimono in exactly the width you need is recommended, it is not necessary. Knowing your size and finding a kimono close to your hip circumference is good enough. So don’t stress to much about the width and find a kimono that is close to your size.

What about the juban (襦袢, undergarment)?

For beginners the important size for a juban is that it fits over your chest. Best is to have the collar crossing all over your chest to the arm pit on the opposite side. If you cannot find a juban that fits, simply opening the side seams is an easy fix to solve that problem.

Juban length is important, too, but not necessary to look at when you are just starting out. Preferably you want to have a juban that ends at your ankle. But this is not one of the sizes I look at in the first classes.

Is there a preferred length for the obi (帯)?

Although I will show you many ways how to put on an obi and also how to manage too short obi, I do believe that you first need to learn the proper process of how to tie an obi first. On the beginner level of my classes I only teach o-taiko (お太鼓) tied with either nagoya obi (名古屋帯, casual type of obi) or fukuro obi (袋帯, formal type of obi). My recommendation in the beginning is to have:

Nagoya obi = about 3.80cm

Fukuro obi = at least 4.20cm

Conclusion

It is very important to know that range of sizes you can work with will change according to your kitsuke (着付け, putting on kimono) skills. The measurements explained above are what you need when starting out your kimono journey. There are way more lengths and widths to look at, but you don’t need all of this in the very beginning. However, if you want to check out all the sizes that make a kimono a kimono, you can check out this video.