The hakama is a vital part of the uniform of practitioners for many martial arts. In some martial arts, it is only worn by higher levels, while in others such as Kendo, it is worn by beginners as well. Hakama are typically made out of cotton, or a blend of polyester, rayon and nylon. Finer hakama are made out of silk.

What is Hakama?

The hakama is a split skirt that has a number of pleats in the front and the back (there are from 4 to 7 pleats). To secure it to the body, it is tied in a particular way. Hakama are often quite long, and may hide the practitioner’s feet. It comes in several sizes.

Hakama in Japan

It was a common part of daily clothing worn by Japanese men in the past, with a slight variation worn by women. As a result, martial artists were not the only ones who wore hakama, and it is considered a traditional piece of Japanese clothing. It is still worn today by the Japanese for traditional events, such as weddings, to celebrate the New Year, and tea ceremonies.

However, the samurai also wore hakama. It is perhaps for this reason that in modern times, the hakama is worn by both male and female practitioners in martial arts utilizing the sword. It is typically in black or dark blue, but can also be found in red or white. It is also worn in other martial arts, such as Aikido, Jujitsu, Kyudo, and Karate.

To find out more about hakama, click for more information about the symbolism of Hakama pleats.

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 10th, 2006 at 2:04 am and is filed under General Martial Arts Information. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.