I’m deciding to write a bit about the Japanese hakama as I am soon buying my first pair of hakama pants, and I thought why not research the pants and write a bit about them as well. Since I have started to actually get into fashion I have always found hakama pants interesting as they are extraordinary and beautiful. Their volume fills up a space, while also allowing the wearer to freely move. The reason behind this is most likely my infatuation with Japanese culture and their history as well as their clothing and their processes. I also love how embedded it is into Japanese culture, unlike most of the pants we wear today. Yes, I understand that jeans were made in the 1840s by a cotton farmer in California for work in the mines during the California Gold Rush; it was then patented in 1870 by Levi Strauss. Now, this history has been lost in American culture. Today, normal people wear denim, everyone wears denim because it is durable and literally one of the best workwear materials of all time. However, the Japanese hakama pants are more than a pair of jeans. The history behind the meaning of the pant is rich in story, and in the culture and the history of Japan. This to me is one of the reasons why I wanted to buy a pair of genuine hakama pants. Also as well as that they fit my style perfectly. I love wide and baggy pants. Now I will have a pair of pants that have a meaning behind them and I will be able to tell the story.
Before we start I must explain what hakama is and also the history. The hakama pant originally was not part of Japanese culture until the Kamakura period, (1185-1332). The pants were originally Chinese, and were around since the Sui and Tang dynasty (618-907). The pants were then exported to Japan, and thus became integrated into the culture via samurai and the upper class society of Japan. Although the hakama is unisex, in the beginning mainly men wore hakama pants as they were the samurais afterall. Another thing that really interested me was that samurai, who were visiting the shogun, wore specific hakama pants that limited the movement of the legs to show respect to the shogun. I find that really interesting and how something so small means a whole lot to somebody. Now, the hakama style of lower body clothing is divided into two categories. The “Andon Hakama" or “Lantern Hakama,” is the skirt variant. The “Umanori Hakama” or the “Horseback riding hakama,” is the pant variant. These variants are mainly used in ceremonial as well as martial arts practices. Such as Kendo, and other martial arts practices in Japan.
The hakama’s signature pleats also mean something. With five pleats in the front and two in the back each containing their own meaning. The meaning of the pleats stem from Bushido culture. Where each of the seven codes of Bushido virtues are embedded into the Hakama.
These are the words which are upheld by samurai who practice the Bushido code of conduct.
The five in the front:
Jin - Humanity or Benevolence
Gi - Justice
Rei - Courtesy
Chi - Wisdom
Shin - Faith or Integrity
The two in the back:
Chu - Loyalty
Ko - Filial Piety
I also found two more meanings for the ones in the back which are:
Yu - Courage
Meiyo - Honor
(I don’t know where these lay in the garment and the meaning but I found it so it must go somewhere.)
All in all, hakama pants are beautiful pants that have so much history behind them. The depth to the hakama is never ending, and so much blood has been shed on hakama pants and skirts on the soil of Japan. Even through death, the samurai who wears the hakama remembers their Bushido code and serves their shogun and remembers who they are down to the core until death. Wearing the pants means so much, and now I know what it means to wear and own a hakama.
More interesting facts:
Hakama pants are not meant to touch the floor as they are supposed to keep you moving. Having to run and trip over fabric, which then damages the garment with dirt and muck, must show disrespect to the person who has spent hours and hours creating the garment for one person. As well as limiting the footwork of a martial artist or samurai. This is just a speculation though.
Hakama pants are now dwindling from Japanese culture as the Meiji era brought in westernization which then led to the downfall of everyday hakama usage. Hakamas are only now worn for traditional usage as well as ceremonial services in japan. (I personally see them as a pair of pants that fit me perfectly and are wide enough to not limit my movement of myself and allow myself to move freely).
Hakama pants used to be slim, but as time went on wooden boards were added to the back to add more comfort as well to widen the leg opening. This was probably also implemented to allow for better posture, which then adds more respect and creates more meaning behind the implementation.
I am buying my pair of hakama pants from a brand I found on instagram. Tokiwa Studio which as of now only has pants. They have 5 products, and their pre orders are now gone, but they do take custom orders. Please support them!
IG: @tokiwa_official_
Written by: Tyler Thum
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