.jpg) Setta, a type of zori | |
| Type | Japanese sandal |
|---|---|
| Material | rice straw, cloth, lacquered wood, leather, rubber or synthetic materials |
| Place of origin | Japan |
Zori (/ˈzɔːri/), also rendered aszōri (Japanese:草履,Japanese pronunciation:[d͡zo̞ːɾʲi]), are thongedJapanesesandals made of rice straw, cloth, lacquered wood, leather, rubber, or—most commonly and informally—synthetic materials.[1] They are a slip-on descendant of the tied-onwaraji sandal.[2]
Similar in form, modernflip-flops became popular in the United States, Australia and New Zealand when soldiers returning fromWorld War II brought Japanese zori with them.[citation needed]
Like many Japanese sandals, zori are easily slipped on and off,[1][a] which is important in Japan, where shoes are removed and put back on whenentering and leaving a house,[3] and where tying shoelaces would be impractical when wearingtraditional clothing.
The traditional forms of zori are seen when worn with other traditional clothing.[1] Modern forms are fairly common, however, with casual Western wear, especially in summer. Whilegeta are now mostly worn with the informalyukata, traditional zori are often worn with the more formalkimono.
In rain, zori may be worn with toe covers (shigure zori).[4]
_(borders_cropped).jpg)
_(cropped).jpg)
.jpg)
The zori originated as a slip-on form of the tie-onwaraji. In the Edo period (1603-1867), the production of zori became professionalized, and a variety of fancy types of zori emerged, using fancier materials.[2] While zori were still commonly woven ofrice straw (wara-zōri藁 草履, literally "straw zori"), rushes of various kinds and bamboo sheath were also used.[3] If they were made of something less cheap than rice straw, an extraoutsole was often sewn on. This could be made of coiled hemp rope (asaura-zōri), wisteria stems, (fujiura-zōri), or wood in lateral strips (zōri-geta oritatsuke-zōri). Leather soles were used onsetta.[3] In modern times,polyurethane andcork are used as outsoles.[5]
Zori also have a variety of upper surfaces. Zori with a wovenwicker covering are referred to astatami omote[6][b] If it is woven of rice straw (as above), they arewara-zōri. If they are woven on the same four-warp pattern, but using a weft ofbamboo sheath (peelings of bambooculms), they aretakegawa (たけがわ, 竹皮) zori, literally bamboo-skin zori. The topsole may also be woven ofcommon rush (igusa). This is the material used for mosttatami mats, andigusa-zōri are also woven on the same many-warp pattern as tatami.
Raffia,rattan, and paper strips (treated and twisted to resemble rush) are also used in topsoles.[7][6][5][8] Some soles areskiamorphic moldings that look like woven topsoles. Topsoles might also be made of cloth, leather,vinyl cloth,[5] orEVA foam. Soles made entirely of waterproof (usually synthetic) materials are called 雨底 (amezoko) zori, literally rain-soled zori.[8][better source needed]Elastomer zori are called ゴム草履 (gomu-zōri).[9][better source needed]
Wrapping straw straps with cloth makes the zori intofuku-zōri (cloth zori,服草履)[3] Modern zori are usually made with the straps as a separate piece, not woven at the same time as the sole.
.jpg)
Thehanao are the straps holding the sole to the foot; the part that should fit loosely between the toes is the maetsubo (前壺),[10] and the side-straps are the yoko-o (横緒).Hanao, like zori soles, are traditionally symmetrical, with no difference between left and right, though some designs diverge from this.[11]
Thehanao of informal zori can be made of avelour-like material, as is often the case forigusa zori. Thehanao of more formal colored vinyl zori are either vinyl or fabric straps. The fabric is often either the fabric used for the shoe, orchirimen (a type of Japanese crepe, of silk orrayon), or cotton, often with a different, softer fabric underneath.[12] Men's zori may also feature leather or leather imitationhanao.
Traditionally,hanao are adjusted to the wearer,[13] being tied through three holes by strings attached to the straps.[14]Hanao can wear and stretch easily; in such instances, thehanao can be adjusted or replaced through small flaps in the soles, which conceal the knots that hold them in place. In other instances, however, thehanao can be entirely inaccessible, requiring the glued sole to be split open, or entire shoe to be replaced.
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Zori" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(June 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
.jpg)
.jpg)
Both the gender of the wearer and the formality of the occasion affects the choice of zori. Regardless of variety, zori are almost always worn withtabi socks.
Women's zori are seldom flat, save forigusa zori. The soles come in different thicknesses and angles, and are typically covered by vinyl or fabric, though some modern varieties feature a hard black plastic sole with a non-slip base. In contrast, men's zori almost always feature a flat sole.[dubious –discuss]
Zori with a wovenwicker covering are referred to astatami omote[6][c]Takagawa zori are generally considered to be relatively formal zori, even if the covering is a vinyl imitation of a woven bamboo-sheath cover. Though most zori with atatami omote cover are considered to be menswear - known assetta - traditional women's footwear with atatami omote cover also exist, though these are generally confined to theokobo variety of geta.[dubious –discuss] In contrast,igusa zori are more modern,[15] and are not worn with kimono, but are considered working wear or are sometimes matched with casual Western or Japanese clothing. These zori more closely resemble a flat sandal with a woven base.
Setta were historically mostlytakegawa setta, but as of 2002[update], they were oftenigusa setta; they were also increasingly likely to have coloured and patterned straps.[2]
Vinyl or plastic zori are next in formality. They are worn with formal clothing such as a semi-formal kimono. The most formal variety of zori are generally worn by women; they arebrocade covered zori that are used with the most formal of kimono, such as wedding and funeral wear.
Thehanao, or thongs, may be white or black, depending on the occasion; whitehanao are worn with formal zori, with blackhanao considered to be informal. They may also complement the colour of the garment.[1] Black, white, and redhanao are traditional and commonly mass-produced, but colourfulhanao with a variety of patterns, sometimes chosen separately from the zori, are also popular.[16]
[from volume 2, page 8] The simplest form of outdoor footwear is the waraji, a sandal of coarse rice-straw, some what shorter than the foot, to which it is firmly tied by means of two straw laces (often covered with white paper). These laces issue from between the first and second toes and pass in turn through a couple of loops at each side, up over the foot, through the loop which forms a heel-piece, and back again to be tied over the instep. The waraji are used by men for energetic and long-continued work, travelling, etc. Their length of life is only about twenty-four hours, but they are very cheap (about a farthing a pair) and supplies of them are carried by travellers and thrown away when worn out...For ordinary use, such as leisurely walking on hard, dry ground, the zōri is employed. This is a sandal of fine rice-straw matting and normally has no separate sole. But varieties of it, made of woven rushes of various kinds or of bamboo-sheath, are commonly soled with coiled hemp-rope (asaura-zōri), with wistaria-stems, (fujiura-zōri), or with wood in lateral sections (zōri-geta or itatsuke-zōri). A superior variety, known as setta, has a raw-hide sole with iron heel-piece [sic].The zōri is kept on by means of two thick soft cords (hanao) of twisted cotton or paper, covered with leather or cloth, issuing from each side near the heel and uniting with a short, thinner piece which passes between, and is gripped by, the first and second toes. Rush zōri with very thick tapering cords of straw-rope covered with white paper or cotton are known as fuku-zōri. In modern times the hanao do not come so far back as in former days; the sandal itself is also a little shorter, instead of being slightly longer, than the foot(translator did not translate the full book text, but from the acknowledgements of vol 1 it sounds as if some of his translations might be incorporated into the work. Volume 1 came out in 1919, volume 2 in 1920. Note the work is in thepublic domain, therefore thefulltext is not copyright)
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) (sense two, a footwear top surface of igusa (soft rush), rattan, or bamboo sheath)
