The Fundoshi

In this article, I shall describe the making of the fundoshi, the Japanese loincloth.

The fundoshi is essentially a strip of cloth 12 feet long or so, and 14-16 inches wide or so. If it is your custom to wear a modern athletic supporter and protective cup, you ought to wear it under the fundoshi. If you do, you may find it comfortable to wear something under the supporter. That's your choice.

Take 4 yards of broadcloth, plain weave, of either cotton, silk, or linen. Choose a fabric that is not too slick or shiny, as the fundoshi relies on fabric on fabric friction to stay in place. Also, choose a white or natrually-colored material.

Fundoshi Pattern

As you can see, the pattern is a simple strip of fabric, about 15" wide.

Here is 4 yards of silk broadcloth, on the spare bed in the sewing room. Get used to the view...

Here is the edge of the fabric and a yardstick measuring a strip 15" wide. I've stuck a pin in the fabric at 15"

Using the pin, I've begun to pull a single thread from the fabric. This will give me a straight line down the fabric for cutting. This is a technique I'll be using for the other garments, too. I won't bother showing it again. If the ends of your fabric are uneven, you should cut them square.

I've begun cutting along the line left by pulling the thread.

And here's an end of one of the 3 strips I got from the fabric.

Choose one of the strips, and hem the all the raw edges. That's all there is to it.

Here's a Youtube video showing one method of wearing the fundoshi. Picture references seem to show that there are other methods for wearing it, but this one is common.