Hakama

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Type of traditional Japanese trousers/skirt

title: "Hakama" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["japanese-lower-body-garments", "keikogi", "shinto-religious-clothing", "skirts", "history-of-asian-clothing", "samurai-clothing", "articles-containing-video-clips", "japanese-words-and-phrases", "trousers-and-shorts", "dress-reform"] description: "Type of traditional Japanese trousers/skirt" topic_path: "history" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakama" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Type of traditional Japanese trousers/skirt ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Hihakama.JPG" caption="hakama}}"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/A_Japanese_lady_wearing_a_Hakama_at_the_Tsurugaoka_Hachimangu.jpg" caption="[[furisode]]}} top at [[Tsurugaoka Hachimangū]]" alt="A Japanese woman wearing a hakama with a furisode (formal kimono for young women with long sleeves)"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Shinto_Priests_(31539867015).jpg" caption="koshi-ita}}"] ::

are a type of traditional Japanese clothing for the lower body. Kù () were a style of trousers worn by members of the imperial court in the Sui and Tang China, and were adopted in the late Yamato period as ja.

ja are tied at the waist and fall approximately to the ankles. They are often worn over a kimono called a ja, but can be worn over a regular kimono.

There are two types of ja: , which are trousers with divided legs, and , which is a undivided skirt style. Both of these types appear similar. A "mountain" or "field" type of ja was traditionally worn by field or forest workers. These are looser in the waist and narrower in the leg.

ja are secured by four straps (ja): two longer ja attached on either side of the front of the garment, and two shorter ja attached on either side of the rear. The rear of the garment may have a rigid trapezoidal section, called a . Below that on the inside, there may be a (a spoon-shaped component sometimes referred to as a ja), which is tucked into the ja or ja at the rear and helps to keep the ja in place.

ja, especially those for martial arts, may have seven deep pleats, 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 of asymmetry in Japanese aesthetics.

Historically, a boy would start wearing his first pair of ja from the age of five, as commemorated in ja; a similar practice to this, called "breeching", was seen in Europe up until the Victorian era, where boys would from then on start to wear breeches instead of dresses, as a recognition of coming of age.

Men's {{transliteration|ja|hakama}}

While ja was once a required part of menswear, contemporary Japanese men typically wear ja only on extremely formal occasions and at tea ceremonies, weddings, and funerals. ja are also regularly worn by practitioners of a variety of martial arts, such as kendo, iaido, taidō, aikido, jōdō, ryū-te, and kyūdō. Sumo wrestlers, who do not wear ja in the context of their sport, are, however, required to wear traditional Japanese dress whenever they appear in public. As ja are one of the most important parts of traditional male formal dress, sumo wrestlers are often seen wearing ja when attending appropriately formal functions.

In addition to martial artists, ja are part of the everyday attire of priests who maintain and perform services at shrines.

A recent trend among young Japanese men is to wear the hakama as casual day wear with a T-shirt.

ja are worn with any kimono except ja (a light cotton summer kimono generally worn for relaxing, for sleeping, or at festivals or summer outings). While glossy black-and-white striped ja 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 wear ja (kimono with just a ja and no ja) or ja (kimono alone, as for ja).

{{transliteration|ja|Sendaihira hakama}}

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/MoriokaStudenten.JPG" caption="Sendaihira hakama}}, some of them [[ombré"] ::

The most formal type of men's ja, ja, is made of stiff, striped silk, usually black and white, or black and navy blue. These are worn with black ja kimono (kimono with one, three, or five family crests on the back, chest, and shoulders), white ja (divided-toe socks), white ja (under-kimono) and various types of footwear. In cooler weather, a ja (long jacket) with a white ja (ja-fastener) completes the outfit.

Traditionally made of silk, ja are sometimes made with blends. ja 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 with lye. These techniques make the cloth glossy and the pattern very small-scale and precise.

{{transliteration|ja|Ōguchi-hakama, Uenobakama}}

Both ja and ja are simultaneously worn with the courtly attire of . The are red underpants with a closed crotch, tied at the wearer's left. The , white and with an open fly, is then worn over the ja, tied off on the right. These ja designs can be traced to the Nara period.

{{transliteration|ja|Kamishimo: kataginu}} and {{transliteration|ja|naga-bakama}}

| width = 200 | footer = | image1 = Kimono-hakama-p1000698.jpg | alt1 = | caption1 = An Edo-period ja ensemble, with the ja and kimono on the left and the ja to the right | image2 = Yoshitoshi - 100 Aspects of the Moon - 92.jpg | alt2 = | caption2 = ja with ja, 1800s court dress

ja traditionally formed part of a complete outfit called a . Worn by samurai and courtiers during the Edo period, the outfit included a formal kimono, ja, and a sleeveless jacket with exaggerated shoulders called a ja.

Samurai visiting the ja and other high-ranking ja at court were sometimes required to wear very long ja called ja (). These resemble normal ja 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. ja are now only worn particularly in Noh plays (including ja), kabuki plays, and Shinto rituals.

{{transliteration|ja|Karusan-bakama}}

Some ja during the Sengoku 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 as ja. 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 regular ja. This variety of ja was also commonly known as ja.

{{transliteration|ja|Sashinuki hakama}}

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Temple_Shinto_Meiji-jingū_à_Tokyo_J_(1).jpg" caption="Sashinuki hakama}} at [[Meiji Shrine"] ::

, also called ja, are a type of ja that are meant to be worn blousing over the leg and exposing the foot. To accomplish this, they are somewhat longer than normal ja, and a cord is run through the hem and drawn tight, creating a "ballooning" effect. To accommodate the required body, the more formal ja featured six panels rather than four. Technically, this cord around the ankle makes ja a type of ja (tied) ja. The earliest form of ja was cut like normal ja 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 the Heian period. ja were worn by court nobles with various types of leisure or semi-formal wear.

{{transliteration|ja|Yoroi hakama}}

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Kikko_ko-bakama.jpg" caption="yoroi hakama}} (armored trousers)"] ::

ja (armoured trousers) had small armour plates or mail armour sewn to the cloth of the ja. Samurai wore them.

Women's {{transliteration|ja|hakama}}

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Mariko's_Graduation_'96.jpg" caption="hakama}} with embroidered flowers"] ::

Women's ja differ from men's in a variety of ways, most notably fabric design and method of tying.

While men's ja can be worn on both formal and informal occasions, women rarely wear ja, except at graduation ceremonies and for traditional Japanese sports such as kyūdō, some branches of aikido and kendo. Women do not wear ja at tea ceremony. The image of women in kimono and ja 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 with ja.

ja are worn by ja or shrine maidens who assist in maintenance and ceremonies. A ja's uniform consists of a plain white kimono with a bright red ja, sometimes a red ja during formal ceremonies. This look stems from the attire worn by high-ranked aristocratic woman in the Heian era, as well as court performers such as ja.

While formal men's ja are made of striped fabric, women's formal ja are either a solid colour or dyed with graduating hues. ja for young women are sometimes sparsely decorated with embroidered flowers such as cherry blossoms. Women typically wear ja just below the bust line, while men wear them at the waist.

Dress reform and scholastic use

ja have traditionally been worn as school wear. Before the advent of school uniforms in Japan, students wore everyday clothes, which included ja for men. In the Meiji period (1868–1912) and Taishō period (1912–1926), Western-style wear was adopted for school uniforms, initially for both male and female uniforms. However, at the time, Western women's dress was fairly cumbersome.

Utako Shimoda (1854–1936), a women's activist, educator and dress 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 believed corsets to be restrictive and harmful to women's health. She adapted the clothing worn by ladies-in-waiting at the Japanese imperial court to make a uniform for her Jissen Women's School. During the Meiji period and Taishō period, other women's schools also adopted the ja. It became standard wear for high schools in Japan, and is still worn for graduation ceremonies.

The image of women in ja 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 with ja.

File:Shimoda Utako in hifu and hakama.jpg|Shimoda Utako, women's activist, educator and dress reform advocate, in ja File:Jogakusei in Taisho period.JPG|A Taishō-era student File:德川多惠子.jpg|An imperial princess in ja and ja File:Print from the series Streaked Mist by Ikeda Shōen 04.jpg|Wearing ja as reform dress, 1906 File:Schoolmarm on the graduation ceremony 1953.jpg|Teacher in 1953 File:Bowing-students-waseda-graduation2015.ogv|Two students (first and third from the left) wearing ja over ja at Waseda University graduation ceremony, 2015

Tying {{transliteration|ja|hakama}}

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/音曲比翼の番組_小波_力弥-Rikiya_and_Konami,from_the_series_A_Program_with_Music_about_Loving_Couples(Ongyoku_hiyoku_no_bangumi)_MET_DP135577.jpg" caption="Rikiya and Konami]])."] ::

There are many ways for men to tie ja. First, the ja is tied in a special knot (an "under-ja knot") at the rear. Starting with the front, the ties are brought around the waist and crossed over the top of the knot of the ja. The ties are brought to the front and crossed below the waist, then tied at the back, under the knot of the ja. The ja is then tucked behind the ja, the ja 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's ja being tied in a simpler knot or a bow. As with men's ja, the front ties are first brought to the back, then to the front, then tied at the back in a knot. Then the back ja 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.

Folding {{transliteration|ja|hakama}}

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Hakama,_folded.jpeg" caption="hakama}}"] ::

Like all types of traditional Japanese clothing, it is important to fold and store ja correctly to prevent damage and prolong the life of the garment, especially those made of silk. With ja this is particularly important, since ja have so many pleats which can easily lose their creases; re-creasing the pleats may require specialist attention in extreme cases.

ja 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 the ja. This is often considered an important part of etiquette.

In some martial arts it is also an old tradition that the highest ranking student has the responsibility to fold the teacher's ja as a token of respect.

References

References

  1. (March 2024). "The Politics of Dress in Asia and the Americas p.84". Sussex Academic Press}}{{Dead link.
  2. (24 May 2016). "Japanese hakama: Past and Present".
  3. "【Male Article】Type and Difference of Kimono".
  4. "Canadian Iaido Association » Apparel Rules".
  5. "Handbook for the Appreciation of Japanese Traditional Crafts".
  6. "袴地の最高峰ブランド「仙臺平」―合資会社仙台平 販売について".
  7. "Warrior in ceremonial costume; kataginu (=sleeveless jacket) and naga-bakama trousers, popularly known as kamishimo dress".
  8. Noririn. (2007-01-15). "Tooshiya". Photozou.
  9. Noririn. (2007-02-03). "Imayou Hounou". Photozou.
  10. (23 December 2020). "From Tradition to Today: Japanese School Uniforms".
  11. "History of Gakushuin". The Gakushuin School.
  12. (1 June 2013). "Shimoda's Program for Japanese and Chinese Women's Education". CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture.
  13. (2011). "Finding their Place in the World: Meiji Intellectuals and the Japanese Construction of an East-West Binary, 1868-1912.".
  14. "History of Gakushuin". The Gakushuin School.
  15. Yamanaka, Norio. (1982). "The Book of Kimono". Kodansha International, Ltd..
  16. Dalby, Liza. (1993). "Kimono: Fashioning Culture". Random House.

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