In Aikido JAPAN,
practitioners wear Hakama on Dogi, but the wearing of Hakama is only allowed to
male practitioners over 1 dan or female practitioners over 4th dan.
(This may depend on instructor).
As the others
already explain, the wearing of Hakama is for the purpose of hiding the
movements of the knees to the opponent. But during the Keiko (training), instructors cannot
see knee movements because of Hakama.
The use of the
knees being very important in Aikido, novices must train without Hakama in
order to have his movements checked. Once technics acquired, they are allowed to wear one.
As it is
difficult to move with a Hakama, there are schools that do not wear Hakama.
There are slight
differences between Hakama of Aikido, Kendo, Iaido and Kyudo (archery).
And Hakama
of Kimono (formal demonstration shows like Enbu) and Hakama of Budo are very
different too.
There are large
dynamic movements (such as forward rotation) in Aikido and Judo, while most movements
in the practice of Kendo, Iaido, and Kyudo are static. Hakama for each
discipline is designed taking into account these differences.
In Aikido,
practitioners can be thrown to the ground, so Koshiita (the plaque inserted on
the back) must be flexible.
For Kendo, Iaido
and Kyudo, practitioners remain standing and there is no risk of being thrown
to the ground. So Koshiita is hard with a kind of spatula that is inserted into
an Obi. It prevents the
deformation of Hakama.
The bottom of
Aikido Hakama is a bit narrower than those for Kendo, Iaido or Kyudo because
its movements are wider and more dynamic.
The front
and rear lengths of Hakama are generally the same but it depends on the
manufacturer.
The men
wear them at the hip level and the women a little lower down the waist.
Some instructors
ask to wear them at the hip. But for women, wearing at the hip can compress the
stomach. This is why women should wear them slightly below the waist.
As for the
materials, there are synthetic fibers (Tetron), 100% cotton or blend of linen.
Tetron is a
registered trademark of the polyester fiber jointly developed by Toray and
Teijin in 1958 in Japan. Toray is known in various fields. Saran Wrap is one of
their products.
This fiber that
resembles nylon was named Tetron by taking the initials of these 2 companies
Teijin and Toray.
Highly resistant,
it is used in various industries.
There are
different types of Tetron, those used in the industry such as sewing threads,
car safety belts, fishing nets and ropes, or those used in sports apparel. So
even if you see the "Tetron" display, it's not necessarily the same
fabric.
Hakama in
Tetron of ANSHIN SHOKAI
This is the assembly
part of Koshiita and Hakama. It is reinforced in double stitching by hand and
does not fray.
The assembly of
waist belts and Koshiita is strong and resistant. It does not tear even pulled
with a force.
Even on the
sides, there are reinforcing stitching on 2 parts upside down and 1 part on the
right side
The slightly
lower parts are also reinforced with triangular fabrics to avoid tearing of the
front and back parts.
The triangular
part of the Koshiita plate has a tendency to detach. This part is sewn in a few
centimeters by the machine in order to avoid this detachment.
The around is also sewn with the tight stitches by hand.
The around is also sewn with the tight stitches by hand.
And there are 9
sewing lines on the back part that prevent deformation. Koshiita (plate) is in soft rubber which
is suitable for Aikido.
Koshiita being in
rubber, it can melt at a high temperature. It is necessary to iron with a low temperature.
As for the folds,
there is no seam because Hakama will become too hard and this is not suitable
for Aikido movements.
However, you can keep the folds clear without sewing thanks to Japanese pleating technologies. (It is necessary to fold carefully his Hakama after each use to keep the folds. (Click on this link to see how to fold his Hakama correctly).
However, you can keep the folds clear without sewing thanks to Japanese pleating technologies. (It is necessary to fold carefully his Hakama after each use to keep the folds. (Click on this link to see how to fold his Hakama correctly).
Aikido Hakama of
the Fuji Daruma brand has received many compliments from Aikido practitioners
in Japan.
ANSHIN SHOKAI is continuing its efforts to improve the quality of its products.
