View source for Hakama

'''Hakama''' are an item of traditional [[Japan]]ese [[clothing]] resembling a wide, pleated [[skirt]]. 

Men traditionally wear two general types of hakama - ''umanori'' (divided) and ''andon'' (undivided). Umanori, "[[horse]] riding hakama" are divided like trousers, with a much lower crotch seam that we are familiar with in Western garments. Andon hakama are skirtlike. 

Modern umanori hakama incorporate a stiffened back board into the rear waistband, known as a ''koshi-ita''. This feature does not appear to have been common prior to the Edo period (1603-1867 [[CE]]), though there is some iconographic evidence that the koshi-ita begins to appear in the late [[16th century]]. 

During the Heian period (795-1192 CE) women of the [[court]] classes wore ''nagabakama'', a type of hakama with hems so long the wearer walked on them, usually [[red]] in color. During the Edo period, men of the [[samurai]] class began to wear nagabakama with matching kataginu. 

Hakama for women fell out of fashion some time after the Kamakura period (1193-1333 CE) as they began to wear [[kosode]] as an outergarment. During the Meiji Restoration (1867-1912 CE), hakama returned to women's wear for [[student]]s or working girls, often combined with Western blouses and hairstyles. In contemporary Japan, hakama and furisode are worn by young graduates.

The [[symbolism]] and number of pleats or styles of tying hakama are almost as varied as the [[martial arts]] disciplines which use them as teaching tools. There is no evidence that these symbols predate the Edo period. 

==External links==
*''[http://www.iz2.or.jp/english/ Kyoto Costume Museum]
*''[http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/katchu/ch16.html Underneath It All (includes hitatare and hakama patterns)]
*''[http://www.sengokudaimyo.com/garb/index.html Yûsoku Kojitsu Ron: A History of Japanese Clothing and Accessories]
*''[http://www.wodefordhall.com/samurai.htm Samurai For The SCA Guy]
*''[http://www.reconstructinghistory.com/japanese/index.html Re-enactor's Guide to Pre-Tokugawa Japan]
*''[http://www.rhinohide.cx/tousando/yoriaku/ Tanki Yoriaku: Hi Ko Ben]
[[category:clothing]]