Obi are the top-most sash worn with various styles of Japanese kimono; several other sashes may be worn under the obi to secure the clothing in place and/or to enhance the shape of the body or of the uppermost sash.

The fukuro obi was created in the late 1920s as an alternative to the stiffer, heavier, less comfortable, old style maru obi. Today the fukuro obi is the most formal. It is made with fine silk brocade or tapestry, which is patterned along 60% of its length on one side. The back of the fukuro is lined with a plain silk or brocade in a color that compliments the pattern.

Fukuro obi run about 13 feet long and a foot wide and may be tied in many different fashions. Because of the difficulty of tying something so large, obi tying is a dying art and often professional 'dressers' must be employed to dress a woman properly in her kimono attire.

My fukuro obi are designed to be worn with a full woman's kimono and are about 30 to 50 years old. I use them to hang on doors in order to dress up what would otherwise be a very boring entry into another room.

Although formal fukuro obi might have cost about 100,000 Yen ($1,000 U.S.) when purchased new, because Japanese kimono and accessories lose value as second hand items, they can be purchased for $50 to $100 U.S. from wholesale dealers in vintage Japanese clothing.