fundoshi step-by-step, with pictures!

Without any doubt, if you are new to wearing fundoshi, the idea of putting one on can seem a little daunting. If you grew up wearing fundoshi, it can be wrapped and cinched in well under a minute -- but for the novice, there are false starts, do-overs, and pauses to consider "do I twist it this way? Does it tuck in here? Is this tight enough?" The second-guessing can be maddening, but fortunately it is rarely discouraging: even putting on a fundoshi wrong is fun!

Over time, helpful souls have recorded videos or drawn step-by-step diagrams. Since there are dozens of regional variations in tying fundoshi, it takes a little experimentation to find which method works best for you. I'm including several different diagrams and drawings from fundoshi packages and elsewhere to give you a leg up on tying the perfect fundoshi.

Etchu fundoshi is no doubt the easiest to figure out and master. It is the boxer shorts to rokushaku fundoshi's briefs -- breezy, light, comfortable in a featherweight, not-even-really-there way. Simply let the apron portion fall behind you, draw the tapes around and tie them in a bow. Then pull the apron forward between your legs and tuck it under the belt you've formed.



(After the jump, there's about a dozen different diagrams, most of which can be clicked on for a larger version)

fundoshi & irezumi

THIS JUST IN: There is now a fundoshi page on Facebook.

Irezumi (also known as Horimono, or literally "body engraving") is a Japanese artform involving extensive body tattooing that the fundoshi is uniquely, um, suited for displaying. Long associated with criminality, and especially Japan's organized crime (the Yakuza), spectacular "waterfall" style tattoos can completely cover the arms, legs, shoulders, and buttocks, but often leave hands and feet blank and a wide, bare stripe down the center of the chest. That way, when normally clothed, the wearer's tattoos remain secret. The designs are usually taken from Japanese woodblock prints and traditional drawings, and can be quite detailed and richly colored. Often, it takes years to complete a full body-suit irezumi tattoo. For a long time, there was a ban on displaying tattoos in pubic that has been relaxed quite a bit in recent decades. However, many bath houses, hot springs and other businesses still prohibit tattoos, and participants in some of the winter Naked Festivals ("Hadaka Matsuri") are required to cover tattoos with bandages.

The first black & white photo below comes from reknowned Japanese photographer Tamotsu Yato's beautiful 1968 monograph, Naked Festival, and remains one of our favorite all-time fundoshi photos!

fundoshi: a study in white

A snugly wrapped white fundoshi continues to be one of our favorite sights here at Fundoshi 4 All! headquarters. Imagining the cool cloth breathing against warm skin, hugging its contents against the wearer's body never ceases to give us a series of fluttering thrills. Linen seems the ideal fabric for the humid summer months, catching up the loins in a tight bundle that lets the slightest breeze circulate against your inner thighs and that "V-groove" the ladies are so fond of.

Short of full nudity, nothing reduces tan lines quite like it -- this summer, frolic in your fundoshi! Try it poolside, or sunning yourself on your roof, or taking a latenight dip in the cool waters of your favorite lake. A hot tub practically begs for fundoshi. Introduce some friends to the pleasure of wearing fundoshi -- what's fun solo is exponentially more fun in a group!

Fundoshi Revolution! How Did It All Begin?

"A Peoples History of the Loincloth" will be an ongoing series here at Fundoshi 4 All, where we take a, errr, deeper look into the loincloth. Where did it come from? Where has it gone? How is it that a garment that is thousands of years old and was worn across the globe came to be transformed into an item of shame and fetishism? We'll be starting off with a brief overview of the possible origins of the loincloth.

In the beginning, there were no clothes. Chances are, humankind's early ancestors had little need for clothing -- they were hairier and their fur warded off scratches from brambles, the hot rays of the sun, and dishonorable social situations (i.e. poorly-timed erections). As human's evolved toward our modern form, most of the body hair retreated. From equator to pole, mankind was smoother and more exposed. The world was heating up after a glacial period, and fur was no longer necessary. The new human body was leaner, taller, faster, and more adaptable to swimming in water.

There is even a "water ape" hypothesis that suggests our downward facing nostrils, smooth flesh and streamlined hair are artifacts of a semi-aquatic existence.

With this new exposure came some new concerns. There are some African societies that have no nudity taboo. It is simply considered rude and unacceptable to become aroused publicly. These societies have developed a control ("mind over matter") that allows them to freely associate among the sexes without displaying sexual arousal!