Men's Checkered Kimono 'Ichimatsu'
A men's full-length kimono in a small navy-and-cream checkerboard, burgundy obi included.
Men's Checkered Kimono 'Ichimatsu'
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The short answer
A men's full-length kimono in polyester, printed with a small even checkerboard in navy and cream, wide sleeves and a wrap front, tied with the included burgundy obi with gold stripes. One size; runs small.
Fabric & care
The composition is stated in the description and printed on the inner label. Machine wash cold, inside out, with similar colours. Hang to dry. Iron on low, inside out over prints or embroidery.
Shipping & returns
Shipping is free on every order, with no minimum. Duties and import taxes are prepaid at checkout. Orders leave in 1 to 3 business days and take 6 to 12 business days on average; a tracking number is emailed on dispatch.
You may return any item within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. Write to contact@yonaku.com and we email you a prepaid label.
What we sell, and what we don't
Japanese designs, made in Asia. Cotton, linen or polyester as stated on each piece, never silk. We name every garment for what it is: a kimono jacket is not a haori, an unlined kimono is not a yukata.
- Free shippingEvery order, no minimum
- Duties prepaidNothing to pay on delivery
- TrackedNumber emailed on dispatch
- 30-day returnsFree, prepaid label
- Sizing helpRuns small: take the larger size
- A person repliesText or email, no bots
About this piece
Navy and cream checks, small and even, with a burgundy obi to break the grid
The checkerboard is the oldest graphic pattern in Japan, and this kimono wears it the traditional way: small squares, navy and cream, evenly set across the whole cloth from the collar to the hem and over both sleeves. Nothing else is printed on it. It does not need to be. The obi is burgundy with gold stripes, and it is the one thing on the garment that is not a square, which is why it looks so decided across the middle.
It is a pattern that reads differently at every distance. From across a street it is a grey-blue texture. From across a room it is checks. Up close it is a grid, sharp-edged, with the cream squares slightly warmer than white. The kabuki actor who made the pattern famous three centuries ago wore it for exactly that reason: it carries to the back row and holds up in the front.
The name, Ichimatsu, is that actor's name, and it has been the name of the pattern ever since. It is the check on the cloth of a thousand summer festivals and on half the hand towels in Japan, and it belongs on a yukata more than anywhere.
It is printed, not woven, with the edges of every square kept clean. The cloth is polyester with a dry hand and a slight texture, chosen because a two-colour pattern lives on its edges and this ground keeps them through washing, and because a kimono for the warm months should hang light.
The obi is included. Cross the fronts left over right, wrap the burgundy obi twice at the waist and knot it at the hip. On a grid this regular, the obi is the horizon, and it should sit a little low, where a man's obi sits.
The cut is long, falling to the ankle, with wide square sleeves and the room to walk. Worn at home it is a robe with a pattern you could play a game on. Worn out with dark sandals it is a summer outfit that reads traditional from the street and graphic from the table, and it goes with nothing else patterned.
It comes in one size, cut long with a generous wrap. It is Asian sizing and runs small, so it sits closer than a Western one-size; the wrap and the obi give the room, and set the waist where you want it.
Questions about the kimono
Is it a kimono or a yukata?
Both are the same shape: a long robe crossed left over right and tied with an obi. A yukata is the unlined summer version in a light woven cloth; the satin pieces here are printed kimono robes. Every page says which it is, and the obi is included with each.
Does it run small?
Yes. Our pieces are cut to Asian sizing, which runs smaller than US sizing. Men's yukata are sized by height; between two sizes, take the larger. Women's kimono are one size, with a wrap front that adjusts at the obi. Measurements taken flat are in the size guide.
Is it silk?
No. Every piece in this collection is polyester, woven for the yukata and satin for the printed kimono, as stated on its page and on the inner label. We never sell silk as something else, or something else as silk.
Is it made in Japan?
No. It is a Japanese design, made in Asia. We say so on every page.
How do I wear it?
Cross the left front over the right, wrap the obi twice at the waist and knot it at the back or the hip. At home it is a robe; out, with sandals, it is the whole outfit. A plain T-shirt underneath if the evening cools.
How do I wash it?
Machine wash cold, inside out, with similar colours, on a gentle cycle for the satin pieces. Hang to dry. Iron on low, inside out over any print.
What we sell, and what we don't
Japanese designs, made in Asia. Cotton, linen or polyester as stated on each piece, never silk. We say so on every page, because the alternative is selling you a word instead of a garment.
