kimono art

Category: File - :Kimono-kyoto-derivative.png|thumb|right|300px|Two young women wearing kimonos climbing the staircase of Kiyomizu, a Buddhist Temple. The obis have been tied in the common drum bow, taiko musubi.

is a sash for traditional Japanese dress, keikogi worn for Japanese martial arts, and a part of kimono outfits.

The obi for men's kimono is rather narrow, wide at most, but a woman's formal obi can be wide and more than long. Nowadays, a woman's wide and decorative obi does not keep the kimono closed: this is done by different undersashes and ribbons worn underneath the obi. The obi itself also requires the use of stiffeners and ribbons.

There are many types of obi, and most of them are for women: wide obis made of brocade and narrower, simpler obis for everyday wear. The fanciest and most colourful obis are for young unmarried women.Fält et. al., p. 452. The contemporary women's obi is a very conspicious accessory: sometimes even more so than the kimono robe itself. A fine formal obi might cost more than the rest of the entire outfit.

Obis are categorised by their design, formality, material, and use. Informal obis are narrower and shorter.

was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist, and one of the last great artists in that tradition. He was also referred to as And? Hiroshige (????) (an irregular combination of family name and art name)See Introduction of Henry D. Smith II; 1986 and by the art name of Ichiy?sai Hiroshige (?????).

Category: File - :Ase o fuku onna2.jpg|thumb|250px|Ase o fuku onna (woman wiping sweat) - a wood print of a woman wiping sweat from her brow, created by Kitagawa Utamaro in 1798

was a Japanese printmaker and painter, who is considered one of the greatest artists of woodblock prints (ukiyo-e). His name was romanized archaically as Outamaro. He is known especially for his masterfully composed studies of women, known as bijinga. He also produced nature studies, particularly illustrated books of insects.

His work reached Europe in the mid-nineteenth century, where it was very popular, enjoying particular acclaim in France. He influenced the European Impressionists, particularly with his use of partial views and his emphasis on light and shade. The reference to the "Japanese influence" among these artists often refers to the work of Utamaro.