Wafuku - Vintage & Antique Japanese Kimonos, Haori & More

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Kabuto: Samurai's armour helmet 

Kabuki: A traditional style of Japanese theatre

Kagame: A mirror (marukagami means round mirror, sugatami means full length mirror and tekagami means hand mirror)

Kagamikake: A mirror cover. This is used by the Japanese to cover a mirror, as they believe that mirrors can not only ward off evil spirits but can also attract them, so, in traditional Japanese homes, they cover their mirrors when not in use

Kaga-Yuzen: One of the yuzen dyeing techniques, which was developed in Kanazawa. It uses a nature motif and it has distinctive calmness and tenderness 

Kagekiyo: A Noh mask representing a warrior character

Kago: Basket, also basuketto in Japanese. Often made from a hexagonal lattice work of bamboo strips 

Kaiawase: Kaiawase (kai-awase), a shell-matching game. The shells for this game are stored in a kaioki

Kaika: The opening of the first cherry blossoms (sakura), becoming mankai (full boom) usually within about one week 

Kaiken: A dagger formerly carried by men and women of the samurai class in Japan. It was useful for self-defense indoors where the long katana and intermediate wakizashi were inconvenient. Women carried them in the obi for self-defense and rarely for jigai (suicide). A woman received a kaiken as part of her wedding gifts. In modern times, the kaiken case has become part of the traditional Japanese marriage, being one of the items carried by a bride for good luck

Kaiki-Iwai: Celebrating recovery

Kaioke: A hexagonal container for holding decorated shells for Kaiawase, shell-matching game. A romantic game in the Heian period, in which players matched paired clam shells to symbolize the union of a perfect couple.

Kaiseki: A tea ceremony meal. Kaiseki meals are prepared for guests who are invited to a Chaji tea ceremony. Much care and consideration for season and type of meeting is taken when choosing ingredients for dishes. The teishu (host) might take several days (sometimes with the help of a hantou) to prepare a kaiseki meal 

Kaishi: Papers used for tea ceremony sweets, can also be used as a napkin at the tea ceremony. The used Kaishi are folded up and put into the tea maker's kimono sleeves, to be disposed of later

Kaji: Mulberry 

Kakebuton: futon blanket / futon quilt 

Kakejiku: A hanging scroll. See Kakemono

Kakemono: Also called kakejiku, a hanging scroll. A vertical Japanese scroll painting. In Japanese art, a work of art mounted for hanging. A picture or piece of calligraphy on paper or silk is glued on a paper backing with a silk or brocade frame and different pieces of silk above and below it. At the bottom is a stick of wood around which the scroll can be rolled up for storage; at the top is a lighter slat of wood from which it hangs. In traditional Japanese houses, one room has a tokonoma, an alcove designed for the display of a kakemono and perhaps a flower arrangement or a piece of pottery. The practice is to change the picture depending on the season. The rolled-up kakemono can be stored in a specially designed box until it is brought out again.

Kakeshita: A kimono which is worn under an Uchikake is called a kakeshita. It is like a wedding furisode, but the difference between a Kakeshita and wedding furisode is, Kakeshitas are more simple in design, patterned only on sleeves and hem or small pattern on all of it, or just plain.

Kaketsugi: Mending techniques To sew a torn part or to hide the seam 

Kaki: Persimmon

Kaku obi: A stiff, roughly 3 inch deep, men's formal obi, worn with the knot at the back

Kama: A metal pot or kettle. The specific term for a kama used in Japanese tea ceremony is chagama (tea kettle). A farming implement similar to a small scythe used for reaping crops and also employed as a weapon

Kamakura-bori - a form of lacquerware from Kamakura, Japan. It is made by carving patterns in wood, then lacquering it with layers of color. It is then polished to reveal lacquer colours if the layers of lacquer differ.

Kamawanu: A design that was popular in the Edo era and is still occasionally seen today, particularly on men's obi. It has a sickle (Kama), a circle (WA) and "Nu" a hiragana text letter. 

Kame: A turtle 

Kameshibori: Tie dye giving a roundish, bean like pattern

Kami: Paper but also means Shinto gods are called kami. They are sacred spirits which take the form of things and concepts important to life, such as wind, rain, mountains, trees, rivers and fertility. Humans become kami after they die and are revered by their families as ancestral kami. The kami of extraordinary people are even enshrined at some shrines. The Sun Goddess Amaterasu is considered Shinto's most important kami. In contrast to many monotheist religions, there are no absolutes in Shinto. There is no absolute right and wrong, and nobody is perfect. Shinto is an optimistic faith, as humans are thought to be fundamentally good, and evil is believed to be caused by evil spirits. Consequently, the purpose of most Shinto rituals is to keep away evil spirits by purification, prayers and offerings to the kami. Shinto shrines are the places of worship and the homes of kami. Most shrines celebrate festivals (matsuri) regularly in order to show the kami the outside world. The introduction of Buddhism in the 6th century was followed by a few initial conflicts, however, the two religions were soon able to co-exist and even complement each other. Many Buddhists viewed the kami as manifestations of Buddha.

Kamikazari: Hair ornament. Kami means hair and kazari means ornament

Kamibari: metallic thread made of foil on thin membrane or paper strips, which are wrapped around silk threads. These metallic threads cannot be stitched through the silk fabrics, so they are traditionally "couched": laid on the fabric surface and stitched down with fine silk threads. Often seen outlining designs on ornate kimono

Kamishimo: Worn by samurai and court men, the outfit consists of a formal kimono, hakama, and a sleeveless top with exaggerated shoulders (supported by bamboo strips and usually lined with paper) called a kataginu

Kamome: A gull

Kamon: A formal, family crest. Mon is a crest, kamon is a family crest. A disc of fabric is masked to be left undyed, the family crest design is then stencilled on. Families either use the mon passed down through their family or simply select one they like and adopt it as their kamon

Kane: Metal, also called metaru 

Kanji: Chinese characters (text) used by the Japanese along with katakana and hiragana. kanji are used to write parts of the language such as nouns, adjective stems, and verb stems, while hiragana are used to write inflected verb and adjective endings (okurigana), particles, native Japanese words (where the kanji is considered too difficult to read or remember), and words in which the kanji is not on the government-sanctioned list of characters. Katakana are used for representing onomatopoeia, non-Japanese loanwords (except those borrowed from Chinese), the names of plants and animals (with exceptions), and for emphasis on certain words 

Kannon: - (Occasionally Kan'on, or more formally Kanzeon) is the Buddhist bodhisattva associated with compassion. Known as the Goddess of Mercy. Usually shown as a female but can take the form of any type of male or female, adult or child, human or non-human being 

Kannushi: What a Shinto Priest wears, for example the joe, the eboshi and the kariginu (see photos on wiki), do not have any special religious significance, but are simply official garments used in the past by the Imperial court. Originally the kannushi were intermediaries between kami and could transmit their will to common humans.[2] A kannushi was a man capable of miracles or a holy man who, because of his practice of purificatory rites, was capable to work as a medium for a kami, but later the term evolved to being synonymous with shinshoku, that is, a man who works at a shrine and holds religious ceremonies there. The Shinto priest who wears the joe is attired in a peaked cap called tate-eboshi, an outer tunic called the joe proper, an outer robe called joe no sodegukuri no o, an undergarment called hitoe, ballooning trousers called sashinuki or nubakama, and a girdle called joe no ate-obi. He can carry a ceremonial wand called haraegushi or another called shaku

Kanoko: Hand tied shibori (tie dye) work 

Kansetsuteki: One of the six elements of Japanese beauty. To be able to create with your imagination, a place (space) where you are peaceful and complacent. It is where you imagine you are in the perfect place. For example, Karesansui, a rock garden, can be an ocean in your imagination 

Kanzashi: - ornate hairpin

Kanzemizu: A swirling vortex in a stream, a whirlpool

Karafuru: Colourful

Karahana: China flower, also known as Chinese flower

Karakusa: Means, "foreign plant" or "winding plant". The pattern consists of various spirals, and these spirals take their shape from vines and other natural forms. Karakusa has been commonly used as a symbol of longevity and prosperity. 

Karashishi: A lion, considered protective. Often shortened to shishi

Karasu: Raven or Crow 

Karesansui: A rock garden, which is a place designed to be peaceful and allow conemplation 

Karihimo: A (usually) temporary cord used in kimono dressing. It is a soft, narrow sash used to aid in kimono dressing (kitsuke), often made of silk or wool. They are used to hold virtually anything in place during the process of dressing and can be used in many ways depending on what is worn. Some of the karihimos are removed after datejime or obi have been tied, while others remain worn beneath the layers of clothing.

Karinui: Temporarily tacked/basted, to check the complete patterns on kimono. When you buy a karinui kimono it is untailored and needs to be sewn together 

Karyou Makura: Also called azuma sugata. An extra deep obi makura

Kasa: An umbrella. Sometimes seen as gasa, as in bangasa 

Kasamatsu: Dense pine branch

Kasen: Synthetics

Kashi: Sweets served before drinking green tea. Traditional Japanese sweets such as omogashi and higashi are always served before tea is offered to guests. Before drinking koicha (thick green tea), omogashi (moist cakes made with jelly and or anko sweet-bean paste) are offered to balance the palate with sweet before bitter. Higashi are usually served before offering usucha (thin tea)

Kashiwa: Oak leaf

Kaso-shitatare: Slightly baggy, short-ish trousers, with a cuff round calf. Also Kobakama, slightly baggy, short trousers, with a cuff round calf; this Japanese garment is identical with the kaso-shitatare of the olden time, and is therefore now called kesho-bakama

Kasumi: Mist

Kasuri: One of the Kimono patterns. As it is woven with pre-dyed threads, sometimes an undyed part appears. That part is used as motif. These ikat fabrics are made by selectively binding and dyeing parts of the warp or weft threads, or even both, before the fabric is woven. It is an arduous and exacting process. For either silk or cotton fabrics, the threads are stretched on a frame, selected design areas are bound, then the hanks of bound threads are immersed in the dye pots. In meisen silk kats, both warp and weft are bound and dyed. For warp ikats, it's the warp threads that are bound and dyed. The fabric is woven with plain wefts, as all of the patterning is in the warps. The irregular, feathery design outlines are a characteristic feature, where the dye seeps under the bindings slightly. In contrast, vertical pattern lines are crisp and smooth. For weft kasuri, more juggling is possible. It's the wefts that are bound selectively and dyed, and the weaver has a little freedom in positioning the dyed pattern areas exactly during the weaving process. This makes quite complex motifs possible. It presumes, however, that the bindings were done with much care and precision. Fabric ornamentation with elaborate weft-ikat motifs is known as "picture kasuri," or e-gasuri. Sometimes the warps are printed or painted before the final weaving process. The fabric below appears to combine techniques 

Katabami: Wood sorrel

Kataginu: A sleeveless top with exaggerated shoulders, worn with hakama and a formal kimono by samurai and noble court men 

Katakana: Japanese textual characters, used by the Japanese along with kanji and hiragana. Katakana scripts are derived from components of more complex kanjigikan - reading of kanji by meaning. The katakana syllabary is primarily used for transcription of foreign language words into Japanese and the writing of loan words (collectively gairaigo), as well as to represent onomatopoeia, technical and scientific terms, and the names of plants, animals, and minerals. Names of Japanese companies as well as certain Japanese language words are also written in katakana rather than the other systems. Kanji are used to write parts of the language such as nouns, adjective stems, and verb stems, while hiragana are used to write inflected verb and adjective endings (okurigana), particles, native Japanese words (where the kanji is considered too difficult to read or remember), and words in which the kanji is not on the government-sanctioned list of characters. Katakana are used for representing onomatopoeia, non-Japanese loanwords (except those borrowed from Chinese), the names of plants and animals (with exceptions), and for emphasis on certain words 

Katamigawari: Half-and-half: style of garment in which the halves are made from different fabrics or designs; sleeves may be alternated as well. In old Japan, katamigawari was a way to recycle fabrics and make new clothes when you didn’t have the full tanmono (kimono fabric roll) required to make a kimono. It became a true fashion statement in Late Azuchi Momoyama/early Edo periods. 

Katawa-guruma: Also katawakuruma. A wheel pattern in flowing water, usually only half the wheel visible. Katawa translates as incomplete/partial, and guruma is carriage, referring to a carriage wheel. The wheels, which were made of wood, were stored in water to prevent them from drying out and rendered useless by shrinking. These wheels signify nobility and good fortune. If the wheel has 8 spokes it often represents the Wheel of the Dharma, a symbol that represents the teachings of the Buddha.

Kata-aizome: Indigo stenciling 

Katazome: These fabrics are also produced with stencils. Rice paste is pressed through the elaborately cut, heavy, oiled stencils onto the fabric; then after drying, the fabrics are immersed in the dye pots. This process has often been used with indigo blue on cotton for summer yukata kimono or for futon covers. Sometimes wax has been used instead, as in batiks made elsewhere 

Katchu: Katchû - armour 

Katori Senko: Mosquito repellant coils 

Katsura: A bride's or geisha's wig. A bride's hairstyle for this wig is called bunkin-takashimada. One of these costs upwards of £1700 (UK pounds, at least $2000) for a new one

Kawarmoyou: Fancy pattern 

Kanzashi: Hair decorations. There are several basic kanzashi styles, along with more complex hana (flower) and seasonal arrangements as well. The basic types of kanzashi are: 1. Bira-bira - also called Fluttering or Dangling style, 2. Kogai - rods made of resin, totoishell, lacquered wood etc. that push through the hair, 3. Kushi - comb kanzashi rather than pins, 4. Kanoko Dome - heavily jeweled accessories with two prongs, 5. Ougi - also called Princess style, they are metal, fan-shaped with mon imprint, aluminum streamers and held in place by a long pin and 6. Tsumami Kanzashi - literally, 'folded fabric hair ornament'; made from very tiny squares of silk that are folded into petals using origami techniques to produce ones such as hana kanzashi (trailing flowers), with different flowers for different seasons, though not just flower shapes are made this way.

Kazari: Decoration

Kendama: A cup and ball game.

Kenpu: Silk 

Kesa: A simple garment worn by a Buddhist monk. During the life of the Buddha, he and his followers were itinerant beggars and they needed clothing, so they picked up all sorts of rags and sewed them together in a regular patchwork pattern. Then they dyed it with the local clay to be of uniform colour so as to be recognizable as a follower of the Buddha. The sanskrit word "kasaya" means earth coloured. Kesa in Japanese. Later this patchwork pattern got formalised into that brick pattern one sees on kesa all over the Buddhist world. It tends to be a rectangular shape with a single strap. Wa-Kesa is even simpler, just a band, used as a travelling kesa

Keshi: Poppy 

Kesho-mawashi: Wrestlers in the two upper divisions, makuuchi and juryo, are allowed to wear a ceremonial kesho-mawashi during their ring entering ceremony. The silk 'belt' opens out at one end into a large apron which is usually heavily embroidered and with thick tassels at the bottom. 

Ki: Yellow 

Kiahan: Gaiters or leggings 

Kicho: See kichou 

Kichou: Sometimes spelled kicho. Curtain in Heian era (794-1192), which was used to divide a room. Literally, 'curtain of state'. Popular during the Heian era (794-1190), the kicho served the purpose as a screen concealing noblewomen from prying eyes: the preferred location of the kicho was near the veranda, and it is recorded that the moment of commitment of a love Heian love affair often occurred when the lady permitted a gentleman behind her kicho. The color and ornamentation of the kicho varied with the seasons and the material used is the best the household could afford. It is known that the nobles competed with each other over the artistic values of these screens. Often a number of kichos would be strung together to form a larger partition, with the many sections allowing a flexible shape. 

Kiji: Pheasant

Kiku: Chrysanthemum

Kikkou: One of the Kimono designs resembling the shell of a turtle/tortoise or a hexagonal pattern 

Kikyo: Sometimes spelled kikyou. Bell flower, also called balloon flower

Kime-sem: bottom fold line of the otaiko musubi

Kinagashi: Wearing men's kimono without Hakama or Haori is known as a Kinagashi style. This is a casual way of wearing a kimono and obi

Kin: Gold

Kinezume: Squirrel

Kinkoma: Couched, metal thread embroidery

Kinkakuji: Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) is a Zen temple, in Kyoto, formally known as Rokuonji. In 1397 construction started on the Kinkauji as part of a new residence for the retired shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. It is is covered in stunning gold leaf. Kinkakuji was converted into a Zen temple after Yoshimitsu's death in 1408. The Golden Pavilion functions as shariden, housing sacred relics of the Buddha. The present building dates from 1955, as the pavilion was burnt by a fanatic monk in 1950 and was rebuilt.

Kin no: Golden

Kinran: Textile woven for use in Buddhist temples and Buddhist clothing. Kinran is woven with real, 24 carat gold thread

Kinsai Yuzen: (See also Surihaku). Kinsai means gold leaf yuzen means hand application of textile art. Kinsai yuzen is gold leaf application on a kimono; an art form which reached its peak in the Azuchi-Momoyama period

Kinsya: High quality silk-gauze woven with foil, gold and silk threads. As it is thin and light, it is used for summer wear 

Kinsan: Gold paint or lacquer

Kin-to-gin-no-kazari: Gold (kin) and silver (gin) brocade

Kinran: Gold brocade. The gold is incorporated by the use in the weft of “flat gold,” very thin yarn-like strips cut from a laminate of gold foil, lacquered to tough paper.

Kiri: Paulownia: said to be the plant with the only branches phoenix will land on. Also known as foxglove tree and princess tree 

Kiri-Hoo: Combined paulownia and phoenix motif

Kissyo-Ka: Auspicious flowers such as chrysanthemum, peony, plum flower and others 

Kitake: The length the kimono is worn after forming the ohashori (length adjusting waist tuck). The kitake is achieved by folding the kimono over at the waist. Kitake is the worn length, as opposed to mitake, the actual length of the kimono 

Kityo-Mon: A traditional split curtain

Kitsuke: The process of putting on a kimono. In Japan one can take kitsuke classes, as putting on a kimono, with its various layers and folds and tying an obi is not an easy task and requires some skill and much practise.

Kitsuke Kimono: The accessories used to assist putting on a kimono outfit. Kitsuke means putting on a kimono

Kiza: The kneeling position, where the buttocks rest on the heels which are still propped up, is called kiza. If one then lowers the feet onto the floor, one will be in the seiza position

Koban: An oval coin, usually gold or silver

Kobana: Small flowers

Kobukusa: Also called dashibukusa. A small brocaded cloth, about a quarter of the size of a fukusa, used at tea ceremonies. When Koicha (thick tea) is served, a Dashibukusa is placed beside the Chawan by the host. Dashibukusa indicates that a valuable Chawan is used and that Macha is supposed to be shared with the other guests

Kodomo: Child/children

Kodomo no Hi: Children's day, celebrated on 5th May, during Japan's Golden Week. It is a day set aside to respect children's personalities and to celebrate their happiness. The day was originally called Tango no Sekku, Boys' Day, but has been changed to Children's Day, for both boys and girls. In 1948, the government decreed this day to be a national holiday to celebrate the happiness of all children and to express gratitude toward mothers. It was renamed Kodomo no Hi. Girls' Day used to be Hinamatsuri, on March 3rd, and it became Dolls' Day, as special dolls were displayed on Girls' Day and these annual doll displays continue, with their own significance. On Kodomo no Hi, huge, beautiful koinobori (carp banners) are strung up everywhere, blowing in the wind (which makes them look as though they are simming upstream), to celebrate the life of boys. Legend says that a carp that swims upstream becomes a dragon if it reaches the top of a waterfall. Koinobori: A black carp (Magoi) at the top represents the father, a red carp (Higoi) below it represents the mother, and the last carp represents the son, with an additional carp added for each subsequent son, with color and position denoting their relative age. Families might display a Kintaro doll, usually riding on a large carp, and a traditional samurai military helmet, a kabuto; they are symbols of a strong and healthy boy. Kintaro was a boy hero in Japanese fable, he was also extraordinately strong. 

Kodomotachi: Children

Ko-Furisode: Shorter sleeved Furisode, with sleeves that are around 85cm in length. "Ko" means small/short. The sleeves of ko-furisode are still very deep, much moreso than non-furisode (kosode) kimonos, just shorter than full furisode length

Kohaze: A hook fastener used on tabi etc 

Koi: Carp. When a carp finishes climbing the waterfall of the 'dragon gate' of Yellow River, it becomes a mighty dragon, according to old Chinese legend. Carp is the symbol of the advancement in life and it is also the popular motif in kimono 

Koicha: Thick green tea. Koicha comes from the first harvest of plants that are a minimum of 30 years old 

Koi-kuchi: Carp mouth; koi means carp and kuchi means mouth. It refers to the shape of the carp's mouth. This is the neck shape of a style of Japanese shirt 

Koinobori: A carp banner, popular in displays on boys' day. The banner may have carp on it or be in the form of a carp shaped windsock

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Kokechi: the classical Japanese term for shibori (tie-dye)

Kokeshi: Wooden dolls, very simple in shape, with no actual arms or legs. Originally carved by fathers when off at work, to take home to their children

Kolomo: Buddhist bonze's (priest) kimono jacket. The jacket usually has pleating around the bottom of the back 

Koma: Spinning top 

Komaro: A Slightly transparant ro weave textile 

Komochi Yoshiwara: A traditional chainlink pattern 

Komon: Means fine pattern or repeat pattern. Kimono with a small, repeated pattern throughout the garment. This style is more casual and may be worn around town, or dressed up with a formal obi for a restaurant. Both married and unmarried women may wear komon (see also Edo Komon)

Kooshi: Lattice pattern 

Ko-omote: A Noh mask representing an unmarried woman. Ko means beauty and youth and omote means face. The mask is used to portray a noble woman or a lover who dies in her prime

Korihimo: Written korihimo or kori-himo. A temporary tie cord, used to hold kimono or obi in place and removed once the are properly on. 

Korin belt: An elastic, adjustable belt used to anchor the kimono before applying the obi

Koromo: Koromo means clothing 

Koromogae: The putting away and bringing out kimono with change of seasons 

Koshihimo: Written koshihimo or koshi-himo. Literarily meaining hip-cord, it is the name of cord/soft tie that is worn around the hips or waist to create the length adjusting fold on women's kimono or to hold a man's kimono closed as he ties hi obi. The shortening fold on a woman's kimono, held in place by the koshihimo, is called the ohashori 

Koshiita: The backboard on men's hakama and women's budo hakama

Kosode: Literally "small sleeves". The kosode is the forerunner to the modern kimono worn by married women, with less deep sleeves than those on young, unmarried women's furisodes. In the Heian period, it was worn as an undergarment by both men and women of the court nobility. Later it became the outer garment for all the classes. The "small sleeves" referred originally to the small opening for the wrist, which distinguished the kosode from the "osode", large sleeves, in which the wrist opening was the full length of the sleeve. In modern times, "kosode" also have small sleeves, in the sense that that they are shorter than those of the furisode

Kosori: Patterns woven into the base fabric of a kimono, known as damask 

Koto: A Japanese harp/zither with thirteen strings. Roughly six feet in length, the koto is made of paulonia wood and has thirteen silk strings of fixed and equal length and tension; tuning is effected by means of the high, movable fret placed under each string

Kotobuki: Means both,'blessing to one's longevity', or just, 'congratulations'. Used for wedding, pregnancy and childbirth items 

Kotoji: A bridge for a koto, to support the strings

Kou: Box 

Kou: Also koufuku. Pleasure, Happiness 

Koubako: Small, lidded incense containers, used to contain incense chips or pastilles that are fed into the charcoal ashes used to heat the kettle. Kougou are of three general types: royou (for the sunken hearth in winter), furoyou (for the portable brazier in summer) and ro·furo-kenyou (for all seasons).

Kou-awase: A game played by guessing the fragrances in incense

Kouka: Safflower

Kougai: An ornamental hairpin 

Koujou: A mill 

Kouro: Incense burners 

Kousa: Plaid (check, like tartan etc)

Koyahaku: Star. As a prefix it is suta, as in Suta-Torekku, meaning Star Trek, or suta-gaido meaning star guide

Kubukuma: A motif of kabuki faces in the style of just the kumadori (kabuki makeup) 

Kukan: One of the six elements of Japanese beauty. This is the third element and refers directly to the idea of living space. In this, we examine the sense of unselfishness in utilising a "necessity only" area (space) and being content with it 

Kuma: A bear

Kumadori: Stage make-up

Kumihimo: Braided cord, most often used to make himo and obijime. It used to be also used to fasten samurai armour pieces together

Kumo: A cloud

Kumodori: A break in the clouds, popular in Japanese design

Kumo no su: Cobweb

Kura: A warehouse

Kuremachisu: Clematis 

Kurikoshi: Fold-over sewn to adjust length 

Kuro: Black. Originally a black tint derived from initial immersion in brown (usually derived from native acorns), followed by application of iron mordant 

Kurotomesode: Black kimono, if patterned, pattern only below the waistline. Kurotomesode are the most formal kimono for married women. They are often worn by the mothers of the bride and groom at weddings. Kurotomesode usually have five mon (crests) printed on the sleeves, chest and back of the kimono

Kushi: A comb 

Kusudama: (lit. medicine ball) is a paper model that is usually (although not always) created by sewing or gluing multiple identical pyramidal units (usually stylized flowers folded from square paper) together through their points to form a spherical shape. Originally being actual bunches of flowers or herbs.The word itself is a combination of two Japanese words kusuri, meaning medicine, and tama, meaning ball. They are now typically used as decorations, or as gifts 

Kyokusui: An abstract stream pattern 

Kyaku: Guest or guests at a tea ceremony, also When in Japan one hears this title in almost every shop entered. It could be followed by "San" as in the honorific for "Sir or Mrs" 

Kyobukuro obi: (capital fukuro obi) was invented in the 1970s in Nishijin, Kyoto. It lies among the usage scale right between nagoya obi and fukuro obi, and can be used to smarten up an everyfay outfit. A kyo-bukuro obi is structured like a fukuro obi but is as short as a nagoya obi. It thus can also be turned inside out for wear like reversible obis. A kyo-bukuro obi is about 30cm (12 in) wide and 350cm (11.5 ft) long. 

Kyokusui: An abstract stream pattern 

Kyousoku: An armrest, sometimes used with a zaisu (legless chair) or zabouton (cushion for kneeling on). 

Kyudo: Archery, known as the Way of the Bow; it is one of the oldest of Japan’s traditional martial arts. Also called Ritsuzen (standing Zen)