- The Hakama has significant meaning applied to its design. The seven folds in the hakama represent seven virtues of the Samurai – Yuki (courage), Jin (humility), Gi (justice), Rei (chivalry), Makoto (honesty), Chugi (loyalty), and Meiyo (prestige)
- A men’s exquisite, umanori legs) hakama, for formal occasions. This hakama is black, with glinting golden kanji. It really is the most beautiful hakama.
- A very high quality synthetic textile
- I will include tying and folding instructions
- Made in Japan
- Hakama are either umanori (divided leg, umanori means horse rider) or andon (undivided, skirt-like, ideal for foot soldiers) and have 7 pleats that represent the 7 virtues of Bushido, the samurai moral code.
- The front looks balanced but is asymmetrical with 3 pleats on the one side and two on the other, so they have balanced asymmetry which is a metaphor for a Japanese world view, an acceptance of imperfection.
- Hakama are fitted tight at the waist but flow wide at the bottom, which hid the footwork of the samurai swordsmen to make their fight unpredictable. Hakama document who the samurai were.
The 5 pleats on the front represent
- jin (benevolence)
- gi (honor or justice)
- rei (courtesy and etiquette)
- chi (wisdom, intelligence)
- shin (sincerity)
The 2 pleats at back represent
- chu (loyalty)
- meiyo (honor, dignity) more modern version state it is koh (piety)
- Originally, the hakama was worn as an outer garment to protect a samurai horseman's legs from brush, weeds, etc. (similar to a cowboy’s leather chaps). In Japan, since leather was so very hard to come by, heavy cloth was used in its place. After the samurai made the transition from mounted soldiers to foot soldiers, they continued to wear the hakama, largely due to the fact that it set them apart and made them easily identifiable
- These Japanese garments should be hung out to air 4 times per year, if not worn frequently, just as the Japanese do. Hang your garment to air when you receive it too, as it will have been stored for a while.
- The Japanese take great pains to store their traditional garments with the utmost care, which is why they stay in such exceptional condition. Some of my Japanese garments have large, white stitching (shitsuke) round the edges. The Japanese put these stitches in to keep the edges flat during long periods of storage, these stitches just get pulled out before wearing the garment
- Please be aware that different monitors display colour slightly differently. Therefore the colour in the photos and description is a guide only
Condition:
Excellent
Measurements:
Front waistband to hem 78cm
The waist of hakama is always free/adjustable size, tied to fit
Golden Kanji Black Umanori Hakama
The Hakama has significant meaning applied to its design. The seven folds in the hakama represent seven virtues of the Samurai – Yuki (courage), Jin (humility), Gi (justice), Rei (chivalry), Makoto (honesty), Chugi (loyalty), and Meiyo (prestige).
Men's hakama come as andon (undivided legs) and umanor (divided legs) versions.
Originally, the hakama was worn as an outer garment to protect a samurai horseman's legs from brush, weeds, etc. (similar to a cowboy’s leather chaps). In Japan, since leather was so very hard to come by, heavy cloth was used in its place. After the samurai made the transition from mounted soldiers to foot soldiers, they continued to wear the hakama, largely due to the fact that it set them apart and made them easily identifiable
These Japanese garments should be hung out to air 4 times per year, if not worn frequently, just as the Japanese do. Hang your garment to air when you receive it too, as it will have been stored for a while.
Specialist dry clean only.