Quantification of how much a kimono loses its shape when worn is a fundamental key factor in studying the correlation between a kimono design and its loss of shape. The establishment of a precise method for the quantification of the degree of shape loss has been pursued in this study. To obtain the changing positions of a kimono on the body by visual method, a check patterned yukata was selected and sewn for the test. The position of the yukata on parts of the body before and after certain movements made by the wearer were recorded, using a high-resolution digital camera. Movements involved walking up and down a staircase, and raising and lowering both arms. FulHength images of the wearer were taken from the front, back, right side and left side, with he/she standing in front of a 10cm grid screen. Using Adobe Photoshop as an image analysis software, the checkered patterns of the yukata were isolated from each image, and overlaid on the corresponding image which was made semi-transparent. For the overlay, the toes or heels were used as registration points for the lower end, and the base of the neck between the collarbones for the top end, while the latter was marked as a fixed reference point. This was found to be an ideal registration point as it was completely free from the effects of the head movement. Distances moved were measured on the overlaid images, at the center, collar, obi, ohashori and hem points. This method enabled an accurate quantification of the distances moved of each part. Although it was possible in the case of the front images to successfully fix the body position by selecting the base of the neck between the collarbones and the toes as registration points, it was suggested that the images taken from the other directions may cause some deviation depending on the head position, as the top of the head was selected as a registration point. This study will serve as an important guideline for the improvement of kimono design and dressing techniques
