Fundoshi (褌/ふんどし) is the traditional Japanese loincloth or underwear for males, made from a sizable length of cotton. Have you ever seen a naked Japanese guy with one of these wrapped around his undercarriage and tied up at the sides with a long white strip of cloth? If so, you may have also witnessed his butt cheeks since the rear part of the garb coils up and enters his butt crack like a thong. Anyway, that’s the Fundoshi.

If you still don’t know what it is, just look at the picture to give yourself an idea of what it looks like. Actually, not many people wear them in their daily life these days, but they are often still used as traditional clothing for festivals (祭り/まつり/matsuri) and such. If you want to learn more about festivals guys that wear fundoshi, take a look at this earlier post about the Hadaka Matsuri (Naked Festival)!

[box type="alert"]Be warned – there are a handful of butts to be seen in this post. If you are butt-shy, look away now![/box]

Series of Fundoshi Posters Theft

Japanese people are never in short supply of absurd news stories reaching their television sets and an odd piece on the fundoshi was recently reported. Someone in the Shinsekai (新世界) district of Osaka repeatedly stole posters containing the image of a man wearing fundoshi underwear.

The B2 size (approx 20×28 inches) posters are made for a town renewal project for the area. As for the fundoshi part, an actual piece of white cloth was attached to the poster and the phrase, “If you choke it off at its root, then it’ll never grow and develop” (締め付けてちゃ 下は育たない/shimetsuketecha shitawasodatanai) was printed on it.

According to MSN-Sankei-West, it was discovered by a police officer that one of the fundoshi posters went missing on April 10th.  Over the next three days it was found that several of the other posters were removed from other areas, as well. The people in the area wondered in their Osaka dialect, “なんでやろ(nandeyaro)?” -Why?

To be honest, I became rather curious as well. Who stole the posters? A man? A woman? A group? And for what reason? Because they look funny? Or, because they were so attractive? I was compelled to look into it online, but unfortunately I couldn’t find any answers. However, I did successfully, and rather unexpectedly, come across a news story regarding the fundoshi and how it is becoming more popular among WOMEN – I wrote that in caps so you would know it wasn’t a typo.

Fundoshi Underwear for Female Boom

As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, fundoshi underwear was originally designed for men. However, it seems that fundoshi for women, called ‘SHARE-FUN’, started being sold last December. Share-fun is an abbreviation of osharena-fundoshi, which means fashionable fundoshi. Plus Charming Company’s cute new take on the classic, yet comfortable, fundoshi has caused women to take notice as the company sold every last item (over 800 pieces) during the month of February.

According to Keiji Nakagawa, the head of Japan Fundoshi Association, the secret of its success was not only in its fashionable design but also in its health benefits. Compared to typical underwear, which usually contains an elastic band, a fundoshi can provide a more free and comfortable feeling. It is also said that the lack of tightness encourages better blood and/or lymph circulation and prevents swelling in the legs as well as menstrual irregularity.

On the other hand, conventional underwear that is too tight for you could be very dangerous. Not only could it cause inflammation around your waist or upper legs or other forms of stress, but can also prolong unpleasant candidiasis or colpitis. He suggests that wearing a fundoshi, instead of normal underwear, can make these symptoms milder.

Now, the Sharefun is not only catching on in Japan, but in European countries as well. I found an online review by a woman who tried Sharefun in the UK. The following is an excerpt from a blog called Cherryful.

I have been wearing the Sharefun fundoshi for a week now and I love it! I was apprehensive at first, thinking the linen material would not stretch and therefore feel tight, but due to the way the fundoshi is worn, this is not an issue at all. It is easily and quickly adjustable to fit a variety of shapes and sizes, and it suits me fine. My privates feel very free and natural during walking and sitting for long periods. Linen is also very cool during the summer heat. All in all, an excellent product and something that has made me change the way I look at underwear.

Pandoru Shorts

Fundoshi are pretty cool, eh? However, obviously some women didn’t like the sound of the name ‘fundoshi’ so they spent some time contemplating what a suitable name for the female version would be. They came upon the French word ‘pendre’ which translates to ‘droop’ in English and now fundoshi for women are also called ‘pandoru shorts’.

They didn’t simply change its name into a cuter one, they also created a more fashionable version graced with an array of pretty designs. There is even a fundoshi fashioned like a frilled apron, which is made with lace and has a little bow tie on it.

According to Tokyo Sports Newspaper, this fundoshi boom among women was triggered by a Sexy Japanese Model, 壇蜜 (Dan Mitsu), who wore fundoshi to her 32nd birthday party at Roboto restaurant. Tight underwear is like a big smile because it makes your cheeks go up! But really, fundoshi is like an even bigger smile, isn’t it?

Mitsu also received an award at the Second Annual Fundoshist Awards, which was held by the Japan Fundoshi Association on January 31st. Although the calendar of Japanese actress Rie Miyazawa wearing fundoshi sold more than 300,000 copies 24 years ago, it never triggered a boom such as this.

Fundoshi Items

Up to now, you have learned that this fun, cool, comfortable, and healthy underwear is rising in popularity throughout Japan, not only for women, of course, but for men as well. So now fundoshi are for anyone who has some consideration for their nether-regions – that basically means everybody. That being said, I’m sure you won’t be surprised that even Hello Kitty has been spotted wearing a fundoshi.

Although these products were banned because they didn’t have permission to use the regional name printed on the products, we can at least say there was one occasion when Hello Kitty had actually shown off her butt. How cool is that? Well, it’s not over yet. Sylvanian Families (シルバニアファミリー, Shirubania famirī) wear the fundoshi as well.

If you want to see more, check out here.

So, more and more people/characters are beginning to like fundoshi. Someone even came up a golf ball set where the golf tees are shaped like men and women wearing fundoshi.

How to Wear Fundoshi Underwear

Do any of you want to try this Japanese underwear? For those of you who do want to try putting it on, I’m going to give you step by step instructions. Just as a side note, I’d like you all to know that it wasn’t my intention to have this article sound like one large advertisement.

First, get your own fundoshi, which is about 6-10” wide and 92-96” in length and made of a lightweight fabric that is usually cotton.

Second, drape one end of the cloth over either shoulder or grip it with your mouth and let the other end drop to the floor. Hold it against your private parts with your other hand.

Third, hold the fundoshi with one hand and pull the other end of it so that it runs underneath and between the buttocks. Next, twist the fundoshi to the point that is resembles a braided rope.

Fourth, wrap it around your waist until the length of fabric is once again resting in front of you. Direct it back underneath your buttocks again. Pull firmly to tighten.

Fifth, wrap the fundoshi all the way around the waist to secure it.

Sixth, release the other end from your shoulder or mouth and pull it between your legs. Pull it firmly between your buttocks to form another covering layer, but not too hard.

Finally, twist and wrap it around the other side of the waist. Loop it under the existing cords making sure that the back view has a ‘T’ shape and not ‘Y’ shape. Then pull it across to the other side and twist it several times under the length around your waist to secure it.

Well, how does it fit? Don’t worry if you need to try it again. Apparently, it’s not uncommon to do it many times before you’re good at it. However, if you find that it is far too difficult for you, there is actually a magic tool that allows you to wear a fundoshi right away.

Fundoshi Camera

February 14th is not only Valentine’s Day, it’s also national Fundoshi Day in Japan when everyone enjoys and celebrates the fundoshi. This day was actually created by the Japan Fundoshi Association. In order to let more people try fundoshi on Fundoshi Day this year, the association planned a secret event one day before Fundoshi Day.

They released a brand new app called ‘Fundoshi Camera’, which lets you superimpose a fundoshi onto whomever you choose without the hassle of actually finding a fundoshi and learning how to put it on.

Are you going to get the app? Go ahead and enjoy your own fundoshi! Me? Well… I want to, but I guess I need to get an iPhone first. Have any interesting fundoshi/underwear related stories? BRIEFly share them in the comments below!