Japanese woman tying an Obi of a geisha in the 1890s.

In the past there were so many different ways of

tying an Obi and you could shout to tie the knots at the front or at the back, there were no actual rules.

However, tying the Obi at the back was gradually popular and tying it at the front was wearable by unmarried women.

The place of the knot standardized and unified only during the Meiji period (1868-191) and it has become a rule of how to wear obis. 

Nowadays there are a several different ways to tie obis and different knots are suited to different occasions and different kimonos.

The obi itself often requires the use of stiffeners and cords for definition of shape and decoration and some knots require additional accessories in order to keep their shape.

Since to tie obis requires a lot of experience, in Japan there are classes to learn how to tie them and how to make various difficult knots.

After several years of study and practice it is possible to obtain the license to become a professional kimono dresser who can  practise and teach this art.

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Picture “Japanese woman tying an Obi of a geisha in the 1890s”  from Wikipedia (courtesy of the Burns Archive).