On the contrary, much as with underwear (and especially underwear deemed "sexy"), fundoshi are kept largely hidden away and private, at least in daily usage. Only during events such as the Hadaka Matsuri or the thunderous drum solos of taiko are fundoshi worn publicly, proudly, or by everyone.
On most weekdays, fundoshi are more likely found in the category of "unmentionables." It is interesting that we relegate our garments of greatest utility to a silent, unseen, and often unappreciated role. Shame of our bodies, guilt at feeling pleasure, distrust of others' motives -- all these things play a part in our guarded relationship with our bodies and the bodies of others. To be quite sure, a history of violence, rape, and gender inequality strongly enforces this. It is unlikely that humanity will ever return to the garden of innocence.
So below you'll find a celebration of the furtive, the coy, the shy and the retiring fundoshi: glimpsed in the woods, tucked into jeans, photographed with faces cropped. Any one of these photos could be any one of us. Could be our neighbor, son, cousin twice-removed, our favorite actor or a complete stranger.
Maybe in a future post we will focus on the bold and empowered fundoshi wearer. On any given day, maybe the fundoshi-wearers below are fierce and confident, striking a pose with hips thrust. But at least when these photos were taken, they were feeling a bit more reserved, or at very least they were conveying appreciation towards our voyeurism.
4 comments:
I would really like to thank you. I have always loved japanese traditions and have watched thousands of anime's and fundoshi has always caught my eye. I have always wanted to try some but was always too shy or thought nah im not that brave. Until I read through this site. This morning I went and bought some material. and I cant wait to try on my first fundoshi :) For this I would like to thank fundoshi 4 all. I would like to make it replace my normal underwear so that I can secretly be me. However I do like the idea of swimming i pubic with my fundoshi but that may take some time. For this I would like to thank you :D
I hope you enjoy your new experiences! I'd love to hear about how getting used to wearing fundoshi goes for you. And thank you so much for reading and enjoying the blog.
As for swimming publicly, I'm not even that brave yet! But we could work up to it. I've tried sunning myself in the back yard or wearing fundoshi when I'm camping near a lake, or swimming at night. One or two friends have seen me in my fundoshi, and a couple lovers.
As far as I know, fundoshi does not violate any decency laws, however it'd be a good idea to look into the laws in your area before sporting your fundoshi on any public property. Some communities have ordnances about thongs and such, and even if they don't there's always the chance of busybodies complaining and putting you into inconvenient situations.
Good luck! You've made me smile today.
Your Shy Fundoshi blog says it perfectly. By wearing a fundoshi it covers and brings attention to the wearer. I have read and notice that it is recommended that a man's penis should be pointing up after adjustment. Is this accurate?
Yes, I think so. In a very loosely tied fundoshi it wouldn't be quite so important, but for rokushaku-style I think it is for two reasons: 1) symmetry (it just looks a little better) and 2) if you were to have an erection in a snugly-tied rokushaku fundoshi, there is very little "give" in the cloth -- it could be painful or uncomfortable. If you lay your penis upwards, it can be aroused or at rest with equal comfort.
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