Sewing Glossary

a: sode-haba (袖幅, ‘sleeve width’),

b: ushiro-haba (後幅, back width’)

c: erikata-aki (襟肩明き, ‘collar-shoulder gap’) x 2

d: okumi-sagari (袵下がり, ‘okumi drop’)

e: tate-zuma (立褄, ‘rise from hem’) also called eri-shita (衿下, ‘below collar’)

f: okumi-haba (袵幅, ‘okumi width’)

g: aizuma-haba (合褄幅, ‘joined hem width’)

h: mae-haba (前幅, ‘front width’)

i: yuki (裄)

j: sode-guchi (袖口, ‘wrist opening’)

k: eri-haba (襟幅, ‘collar width’)

l: sode-take (袖丈, ‘sleeve height’)

m: mi-take (身丈, ‘body height’)

Garment features:

Eri (襟): collar
Fuki (袘): the portion of the lining visible at the hem, not always present
Furi (振り, ‘swing’): the sleeve side of the underarm opening, ie. the part of the sleeve that can swing because it is not attached to the body
Gakubuchi (額縁, ‘picture frame’): mitered corner (angled intersection of two edges, as at the corner of an unlined okumi)
Himo (紐): string or tie
Hōeki (縫腋, ‘sewn armpit’): garment sewn fully closed under the arm
Ketteki (闕腋 or 欠掖, ‘lacking armpit’): garment with underarm holes (wakiake)
Kyaku (脚): leg
Machi (襠 or 裆): gusset
Mata (胯): crotch
Migoro (身頃, ‘body section’): the main body panel
Miyatsuguchi (身八つ口, ‘body’s eighth opening’): body side of the underarm hole (the ‘eight openings’ are the neck, hem, cuffs, body sides of the underarm hole and sleeve side of the underarm hole)
Momodachi (股立, ‘thigh rise’): hakama side vents
Okumi (袵): front gore between collar and body panel
Sode (袖): sleeve
Suso (裾): bottom portion, area near the hem
Tsuma (褄): hem
Wakiake (脇明け, ‘armpit opening’): open underarm hole

Hand sewing:

Unshin (運針): fast running stitch method, can sew a meter in 3 minutes
Nuime (縫い目): stitch; stitch length
Nuishiro (縫い代): seam allowance
Yotsu-nui (四つ縫い): sewing four layers of fabric together with a single line of stitching (normally two layers of exterior fabric right sides together and two layers of lining fabric right sides together).
Kise (被せ, ‘cover’): a tiny (~2mm) fold which hides the stitching at a seam
Kenuki-awase (毛抜き合わせ, ‘tweezer join’): hiding a slipstitch by placing it ~2mm inside two folded edges (see hon-guke)
Yubinuki (指貫): thimble, especially a ring thimble

Running stitches

Nami-nui (並縫い, ‘ordinary stitch’): standard running stitch (3-4mm stitch length)
Gushi-nui (ぐし縫い): fine running stitch (2mm stitch length)
Nido-nui (二度縫い, ‘double stitch’): two parallel running stitches – the first creates the seam, the second holds the seam allowances together, often used for the center back seam
Shitsuke (仕付け, ‘discipline’): basting

Slip stitches

Kuke (絎, ‘blindstitch’): a blindstitch/invisible stitch
Hon-guke (本絎, ‘true kuke’): slipstitch that joins two edges folded toward each other, such as the edge of a lined collar
Mimi-guke (耳絎, “ear kuke’): running stitch with a particular short-short-long pattern used to quickly tack down seam allowances

Reinforcement stitches

Nui hajime no itodama (縫いはじめの板玉, ‘sewing start thread ball’): wrapping the thread around your finger and rolling it off to create a beginning knot
Kaeshi-bari (返し針, ‘return needle’): backstitch; a single backstitch is placed at the beginning and end of every seam
Tama-dome (玉止め, ‘ball stop’): winding the thread around the needle before making the last stitch to create a finishing knot
Kannuki-dome (閂止め, ‘bar stop’): reinforcement stitch used to strengthen high-stress locations

Primary sleeve categories

Kosode (小袖): small sleeve opening; uchikake, shitagi, aigi, katabira are all types of kosode
Ōsode (大袖): wide sleeve opening; hitoe, uwagi, uchiki, uchigi are all types of ōsode

Specific sleeve types

Hirosode (広袖): 1.5 panel sleeves used for kariginu, suikan, etc.
- Hiresode (鰭袖, ‘fin sleeve’) outer half-panel section
- Okusode (奥袖, ‘deep sleeve’) inner full-panel section
Koiguchisode (鯉口袖, ‘carp-mouth sleeve’): tapered
Makisode (巻袖, ‘wrapped sleeve’) triangular, used for undergarments, working attire
Nagasode (長袖, ‘long sleeve’) sleeve with a long furi used on children’s garments
Tsutsusode (筒袖, ‘tube sleeve’): straight, narrow, utilitarian sleeve used for undergarments, working attire, some fighting attire
Funazokosode (舟底袖, ‘boat-bottom sleeve’): continuous curve shaped like the bottom of a boat

Sewing instructions

References:

Bunka Fashion Research Institute, Joint Research Center for Fashion and Clothing Culture. “The education program for the cultural folklore and for the transmission of “Kimono” culture.” https://kimono-bunka.ynu.ac.jp/nuikata_en/01/02.html Accessed 4/10/24.
Nishimura, Fumiko. Wasai Seigi. Sōeisha, Tōkyō, 2000.
Ōtsuka, Sueko. Hajimete no Wasai. Seibidōshuppan, Tōkyō, 1993.
Shōgakukan. Encyclopedia Nipponica, 2nd edition. Shōgakukan, Tōkyō, 2001.

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