I am not really into fundoshi (wearing them myself
-- freeballer here), but I certainly enjoy seeing
other men wear them. It's the traditional garment
(actually undergarment) worn by most Edo era men under
their kimono/yukata (before arrival of Perry's black
ships circa 1857). For nearly a century, it was still
used as underwear and the bathing suit for men, but
it's popularity as an everyday article of clothing
declined after the American Occupation introduced
Western-style underwear for men. It's now become
garment of choice for many 'masturi' - Japanese
traditional festivals - many of which celebrate the
coming of age of young men and involve some type of
virility or fertility ritual or ceremonial tasks. A
variation of it, the 'mawashi' is still worn today by
sumo wrestlers.
In 'matsuri', groups of men (old and young) don the
fundoshi (with or without happi coat) and parade the
streets and shrine grounds carrying the heavy wooden
floats (actually portable shrines, 'mikoshi'), heaving
it up and forward with their loud chants and
boisterous energy. Quite often when ONLY the fundoshi
is worn - with nothing else - the fesitval is
frequently referred to as a 'hadaka matsuri' or naked
festival.
idea to 'rename' the fundoshi and market it as
'samurai pants' or something like that, but it's still
rather a special item that most men wouldn't own. For
example, how popular is the thong for underwear or a
bathing suit? Still there are a few men who wear
kimono on a daily basis (instead of Western
suits/pants) so I'm sure that you can find fundoshi at
department stores and speciality stores. Even if not
don one publically, some men might like the masculine
image of the fundoshi and may be wearing them under
their western attire - sort of like men who like to
wear a jockstrap instead of boxers or briefs. A lot
of men at the age of 20 (for both men and women)
celebrate Coming of Age Day (1st Monday in January)
and some of them wear traditional kimono (and may be
wearing a fundoshi underneath (although I have my
doubts). Summer festivals and firework display bring
out hordes of people, particularly young men and
women, in the traditional lighter cotton print
'yukata' (cheaper version of the often outrageously
expensive kimono). I bet a few men wear a fundoshi (or
like I do - nothing) underneath.
Some of my Net pics on Japanese male bonding,
including many with men in fundoshi:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sunbuns/sets/72157600219588448/
Mr. Wada is photographer who specializes in Japanese
festivals and seems to capture men in fundoshi at
literally hundreds of festivals.
http://wadaphoto.jp/maturi/
An online store's ad for fundoshi:
http://www.wasuiya.com/english/index.htm
A blog by Japanese guy interested in naked and
semi-naked men:
http://blog.livedoor.jp/fundoshi/archives/cat_489179.html
(He has several categories, included the one for
matsuri and fundoshi above)
YouTube vid on how to put on (tie) a fundoshi:
(in Japanese - for modesty's sake, the model is
already wearing a fundoshi as the instructor
demonstrates how to put on (over the exisiting one).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GZE5SV1NBY
So you can imagine what it's like being where a lot
of men are getting dressed in fundoshi. He explains in
Japanese that most people can't get a fundoshi tied by
themselves (you need a third or fourth arm). So you
can see why I think male bonding is one of the
functions of Japanese festivals - you have to get
naked and up closer and personal with another guy and
then groups of men in order to wear a fundoshi and
participate.
Well, I was wrong about one thing - YOU can put on a
fundoshi by yourself. The same instructor completes
his training of the younger fundoshi wearer - and put
him to the test. A follow-up section of the earlier
video (see my last posting for the URL).
This time he starts out without anything on
underneath.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYzcxUshh6E


































































































