Sarashi Fundoshi - Part Two

Breaking with tradition, this Part Two continues with the wrapping of the 10 meter sarashi fundoshi. I will add a bit of commentary as I go along.

In the above photo, you may notice I have the full width of the material being wrapped. I found this not to work so well after a couple of rotations around my body and started over. 

Here, you will notice after the initial wrap around the waist, I have folded the material in half. This made the process much easier to get a good, even tautness as I continued. 

I kept this fundoshi tied rather high, as that is how I noticed it in some festival photos I used as a reference. 

And the wrapping continues.....

More after the jump......

Khaki Fundoshi - The Stripping Shoot

This photo shoot came about in a rather round-about way.

If you follow my tumblr posts, you will have noticed an aberration from my fascination with fundoshi into the world of the Scottish Kilt.  I did a color and a black and white shoot, and put them up on tumblr. I originally was going to wear a fundoshi under the kilt, but verisimilitude won out and I went with the traditional Scottish way of wearing a kilt - au natural. 

I did the khaki fundoshi shoot on the same day, and before concentrating on the 'part two' photos, I rummaged in my old costume box and found some coveralls.

I just thought it would be fun to do a shoot getting out of them with a fundoshi underneath.

Well - I did have fun with the shoot....hope it brings you a bit of fun as well.....

Even more after the break....

Blue Gauze Fundoshi - Dots and Dashes Part Two

Today - featuring part two of the delightful blue gauze fundoshi with the 'dots and dashes' pattern.

I know it has been pretty dark and moody the past couple of blogs. Hopefully, this brighter, lighter shoot will lift you up, so to speak.

As is the norm here at fundoshi, fabric and photos, part two consists of taking off the fundoshi and seeing what interesting wraps and draping can occur. 

More after the jump.....

Khaki Cheesecloth Fundoshi - Back by Popular Demand - Part One

Khaki Cheesecloth Fundoshi - Back by Popular Demand - Part One

While I have shown the khaki cheesecloth before in a couple of shoots, this is a new pattern with lighting that plays off the contrast of the design. As I have mentioned before, this particular fabric color is quite difficult to photograph as it takes on different shades in different lighting conditions. You will see this in the difference in the photo studies of the fabric opposed to the posing shots. These were taken on different days under different lighting conditions.

The design for this actually follows the pattern of my dining room table, which has a large checkerboard pattern made of tile. I simply lay the material on the table and used a brush to follow the grout lines of the tile. It was probably the simplest idea I have had to create a design.

If you’ve been following my tumblr ramblings, you have seen the green cheesecloth being used in a hotel room and wet series. With the wet series, you know how revealing this fabric can be. I have included a shot or two here that proves the right lighting can also cause cheesecloth to be rather sheer. I hope you don’t mind…..

I am finding that using a stark approach to the lighting is creating a mood I like and is helping to highlight the textures of the fabric. I think I will continue to explore this and the use of gels. 

fundoshi…khaki checkerboard inspired pattern

fabric…100% cotton cheesecloth - sheer and light

photography…I am continuing with the stark lighting from the last couple of rounds….I like it…..

On to the rest of Part One.....

Sarashi Fundoshi - Part One

Today, direct from Japan, I give you sarashi. A new fabric….I haven’t talked about weave in a while! 

Based on my own limited research, sarashi is the traditional fabric used in Japan for fundoshi - especially during festivals. The fabric is also used for household items and clothing. The Nara prefecture is said to produce the highest quality of sarashi. In Nara, there are still hand-woven workshops that use the traditional hemp as the fiber, like 

Nakagawa Masashichi.

The thread used in making sarashi is fine. The weave is very similar to a muslin in that the warp and weft appear evenly spun. It isn’t as sheer as some of the voiles I’ve purchased and not as thick as gauze. 

As you can see from the packaging, this is 10 meters of fabric. It is continuous in length with no seems. It is 13 inches wide and finished on each edge. This version of sarashi is made of cotton, not hemp. 

I purchased the fabric from fabric tales.  I didn’t encounter any issues ordering from Japan, but your mileage may vary, as they say…..

For the shoot, I kept the lighting a bit stark and white to better show off the fabric. I did place a dimmer back-light at an angle to try to give a sharper contrast. 

I keep my fundoshi rolled up to avoid wrinkles when using them in a shoot.

For this set of photos, I am trying to show the beginning stages of putting this fundoshi on. It did take me a couple of tries. A hint I have is that this needs to be tight. The volume of fabric being wrapped will easily droop and unravel if it isn’t tightly wrapped. This is probably why people help one another during festival preparation. Doing it alone takes a bit of patience and trial and error. 

fundoshi…as traditional as I can get without guidance from a professional….

fabric...100% cotton sarashi

photography…nicely contrasted lighting to highlight the fabric

And now....on to the rest of the group....

Pink and Moody Fundoshi - Part One

Well, those last two blogs were quite bright with that white backdrop and white light and white body……

Let us now get moody, a little sultry, perhaps. 

Here is pink gauze in a design I haven’t shown. Some simple lines and rough circles all done with a brush. I think I have mentioned before that the pink gauze really hold onto its color, so in some of these shots with a deep contrast, you can’t see the pattern.

For the lighting, I tried an extremely different approach than I normally use. There are two main sources of light. A white source at about a three quarter angle from the shooting area. The second source is directly at the opposite side and is covered with a deep red gel.

Depending on where I positioned my body, you can see how the light reacts. I think the red is also helping in showing off my body hair. 

As you get deeper into the set, you will see that I tied this fundoshi a bit lower than normal…..do you mind?

fundoshi…pink with a simple pattern

fabric...100% cotton gauze….try it, you’ll like it

photography…continued use of colored gels and stark lighting

Onward for more….