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Hakama (袴) are a type of traditionalJapanese clothing for the lower body.Kù (traditional Chinese:褲;simplified Chinese:裤) were a style of trousers worn by members of the imperial court in theSui andTang China, and were adopted in the lateYamato period ashakama.
Hakama are tied at the waist and fall approximately to the ankles. They are often worn over akimono called ahakamashita,[1] but can be worn over a regular kimono.
There are two types ofhakama:umanori (馬乗り,horse-riding hakama), which are trousers with divided legs, andandon bakama (行灯袴, lanternhakama), which is a undividedskirt style. Both of these types appear similar. A "mountain" or "field" type ofumanori hakama was traditionally worn by field or forest workers. These are looser in the waist and narrower in the leg.
Hakama are secured by four straps (himo): two longerhimo attached on either side of the front of the garment, and two shorterhimo attached on either side of the rear. The rear of the garment may have a rigid trapezoidal section, called akoshi-ita (腰板). Below that on the inside, there may be ahakama-dome (袴止め)[citation needed] (a spoon-shaped component sometimes referred to as ahera), which is tucked into theobi orhimo at the rear and helps to keep thehakama in place.
Hakama, especially those for martial arts, may have seven deeppleats, two on the back and five on the front. Although they appear balanced, the arrangement of the front pleats (two to the right, three to the left) is asymmetrical, and as such is an example ofasymmetry inJapanese aesthetics.
Historically, a boy would start wearing his first pair ofhakama from the age of five, as commemorated inShichi-Go-San; a similar practice to this, called "breeching", was seen in Europe up until theVictorian era, where boys would from then on start to wearbreeches instead of dresses, as a recognition ofcoming of age.
Whilehakama was once a required part of menswear, contemporary Japanese men typically wearhakama only on extremely formal occasions and attea ceremonies, weddings, and funerals.Hakama are also regularly worn by practitioners of a variety ofmartial arts, such askendo,iaido,taidō,aikido,jōdō,ryū-te, andkyūdō.Sumo wrestlers, who do not wearhakama in the context of their sport, are, however, required to wear traditional Japanese dress whenever they appear in public. Ashakama are one of the most important parts of traditional male formal dress, sumo wrestlers are often seen wearinghakama when attending appropriately formal functions.
In addition to martial artists,hakama are part of the everyday attire ofpriests who maintain and perform services atshrines.
A recent trend among young Japanese men is to wear the hakama as casual day wear with a T-shirt.
Hakama are worn with any kimono exceptyukata[2] (a light cotton summer kimono generally worn for relaxing, for sleeping, or at festivals or summer outings). While glossy black-and-white stripedsendaihira hakama are usually worn with formal kimono, stripes in colours other than black, grey and white are worn with less formal wear. Solid and graduated (ombré) colours are also common. For casual wear, men sometimes wearhaori nagashi (kimono with just ahaori and nohakama) orkinagashi (kimono alone, as foryukata).[3]
The most formal type of men'shakama,sendaihira hakama, is made of stiff, stripedsilk, usually black and white, or black and navy blue. These are worn with blackmontsuki kimono (kimono with one, three, or five familycrests on the back, chest, and shoulders), whitetabi (divided-toe socks), whitenagajuban (under-kimono) and various types of footwear. In cooler weather, amontsukihaori (long jacket) with a whitehaori-himo (haori-fastener) completes the outfit.
Traditionally made of silk,sendaihira hakama are sometimes made with blends.[4]Sendaihira is woven with a dense warp. Traditionally, the weft is woven wet and beaten firmly into place to make it denser. The silk strands are not twisted, and are treated withlye. These techniques make the cloth glossy and the pattern very small-scale and precise.[5][6]
Bothōguchi-hakama anduenobakama are simultaneously worn with the courtly attire ofsokutai (束帯). Theōguchi-hakama (大口袴) are red underpants with a closed crotch, tied at the wearer's left. Theuenobakama (表袴), white and with an open fly, is then worn over theōguchi-hakama, tied off on the right. Thesehakama designs can be traced to theNara period.[citation needed]
Hakama traditionally formed part of a complete outfit called akamishimo (上下/裃). Worn by samurai and courtiers during the Edo period, the outfit included a formal kimono,hakama, and a sleeveless jacket with exaggerated shoulders called akataginu.
Samurai visiting theshōgun and other high-rankingdaimyō at court were sometimes required to wear very longhakama callednaga-bakama (lit. 'longhakama'). These resemble normalhakama in every way except for their remarkable length in both the front and back, forming a train one or two feet long that impairs normal walking, thereby helping to prevent surprise attacks or assassination attempts.[7]Naga-bakama are now only worn particularly inNoh plays (includingkyōgen),kabuki plays, and Shinto rituals.
Somehakama during theSengoku period had the hems made narrower than the body in imitation of the ballooning trousers worn by the Portuguese. This style continued into the Edo period and came to be known askarusan-bakama. In addition to the taper, they had a secured band of cloth—looking rather like a pants cuff—sewn around each leg's hem, so the ballooning fabric would not open out like regularhakama. This variety ofhakama was also commonly known astattsuke-hakama.
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Sashinuki (指貫), also callednu-bakama, are a type ofhakama that are meant to be worn blousing over the leg and exposing the foot. To accomplish this, they are somewhat longer than normalhakama, and a cord is run through the hem and drawn tight, creating a "ballooning" effect. To accommodate the required body, the more formalsashinuki featured six panels rather than four. Technically, this cord around the ankle makessashinuki a type ofkukuri- (tied)hakama. The earliest form ofsashinuki was cut like normalhakama and had a cord running through the hem of each leg. These cords were pulled tight and tied off at the ankle. This was the form commonly worn during theHeian period.Sashinuki were worn by court nobles with various types of leisure or semi-formal wear.
Yoroi hakama (armoured trousers) had small armour plates or mail armour sewn to the cloth of thehakama. Samurai wore them.
Women'shakama differ from men's in a variety of ways, most notably fabric design and method of tying.
While men'shakama can be worn on both formal and informal occasions, women rarely wearhakama, except at graduation ceremonies and for traditional Japanese sports such askyūdō, some branches ofaikido andkendo.[8] Women do not wearhakama at tea ceremony. The image of women in kimono andhakama are culturally associated with school teachers. Just as university professors in Western countries don their academic caps and gowns when their students graduate, many female school teachers in Japan attend annual graduation ceremonies in traditional kimono withhakama.
Hakama are worn bymiko or shrine maidens who assist in maintenance and ceremonies. Amiko's uniform consists of a plain white kimono with a bright redhakama, sometimes a rednaga-bakama during formal ceremonies.[9] This look stems from the attire worn by high-ranked aristocratic woman in the Heian era, as well as court performers such asshirabyōshi.
While formal men'shakama are made of striped fabric, women's formalhakama are either a solid colour or dyed with graduating hues.Hakama for young women are sometimes sparsely decorated with embroidered flowers such as cherry blossoms. Women typically wearhakama just below the bust line, while men wear them at the waist.
Hakama have traditionally been worn as school wear. Before the advent ofschool uniforms in Japan, students wore everyday clothes, which includedhakama for men. In theMeiji period (1868–1912) andTaishō period (1912–1926), Western-style wear was adopted for school uniforms,[10] initially for both male and female uniforms.[11] However, at the time, Western women's dress was fairly cumbersome.
Utako Shimoda (1854–1936), awomen's activist, educator anddress reformer, found traditional kimono to be too restrictive, preventing women and girls from moving and taking part in physical activities, harming their health. While Western dress was being adopted at the time, she also believedcorsets to be restrictive and harmful to women's health.[12] Shimoda had worked as alady-in-waiting toEmpress Shōken from 1871 to 1879.[13] She adapted the clothing worn by ladies-in-waiting at the Japanese imperial court to make a uniform for herJissen Women's School. During the Meiji period and Taishō period, other women's schools also adopted thehakama.[12] It became standard wear for high schools in Japan,[14] and is still worn for graduation ceremonies.
The image of women inhakama is also culturally associated with school teachers. Just as university professors in Western countries don their academic caps and gowns when their students graduate, many female school teachers in Japan attend annual graduation ceremonies in traditional kimono withhakama.
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There are many ways for men to tiehakama. First, theobi is tied in a special knot (an "under-hakama knot") at the rear. Starting with the front, the ties are brought around the waist and crossed over the top of the knot of theobi. The ties are brought to the front and crossed below the waist, then tied at the back, under the knot of theobi. Thehakama-dome is then tucked behind theobi, thekoshi-ita is adjusted, and the rear ties brought to the front and tied in a variety of ways. The most formal method results in a knot that resembles two bow-ties in a cross shape.
The method of tying the ties is also different, with women'shakama being tied in a simpler knot or a bow. As with men'shakama, the front ties are first brought to the back, then to the front, then tied at the back in a knot. Then the backhimo are brought around to the front. At this point, they may be tied with a bow at the left hip, just in front of the opening, with the ends of the ties at equal lengths. For more secure fastening, the ties may be wrapped once at center front, then tied inside at the back.
Like all types of traditional Japanese clothing, it is important to fold and storehakama correctly to prevent damage and prolong the life of the garment, especially those made of silk. Withhakama this is particularly important, sincehakama have so many pleats which can easily lose their creases; re-creasing the pleats may require specialist attention in extreme cases.
Hakama are often considered particularly challenging to learn to fold properly, in part because of their pleats and in part because their long ties must be correctly smoothed and gathered before being tied in specific patterns.
Various martial arts traditions in which practitioners wear them have prescribed methods of folding thehakama. This is often considered an important part ofetiquette.
In some martial arts it is also an old tradition that the highest ranking student has the responsibility to fold the teacher'shakama as a token of respect.[15][16]
