Hakama (袴) are a type of traditional Japanese clothing for the lower body. Hakama are tied at the waist and fall approximately to the ankles. They are often worn over a kimono called a hakamashita, literally "under the hakama", but can be worn over a regular kimono. There are two types of hakama: umanori (馬乗り, horse-riding hakama), which are trousers with divided legs, and andon bakama (行灯袴, lantern hakama), which is a undivided skirt style. Both of these types appear similar. A "mountain" or "field" type of umanori hakama was traditionally worn by field or forest workers. These are looser in the waist and narrower in the leg. Hakama are secured by four straps (himo): two longer himo attached on either side of the front of the garment, and two shorter himo attached on either side of the rear. The rear of the garment may have a rigid trapezoidal section, called a koshi-ita (腰板). Below that on the inside, there may be a hakama-dome (袴止め) (a spoon-shaped component sometimes referred to as a hera), which is tucked into the obi or himo at the rear and helps to keep the hakama in place. Hakama, 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 hakama from the age of five, as commemorated in Shichi-Go-San; 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 hakama While hakama was once a required part of menswear, contemporary Japanese men typically wear hakama only on extremely formal occasions and at tea ceremonies, weddings, and funerals. Hakama 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 hakama in the context of their art-form, are, however, required to wear traditional Japanese dress whenever they appear in public. As hakama are one of the most important parts of traditional male formal dress, sumo wrestlers are often seen wearing hakama when attending appropriately formal functions. In addition to martial artists, hakama 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. Hakama are worn with any kimono except yukata (a light cotton summer kimono generally worn for relaxing, for sleeping, or at festivals or summer outings). While glossy black-and-white striped sendaihira hakama 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 haori nagashi (kimono with just a haori and no hakama) or kinagashi (kimono alone, as for yukata).
Sendaihira hakama
The most formal type of men's hakama, sendaihira hakama, is made of stiff, striped silk, usually black and white, or black and navy blue. These are worn with black montsuki kimono (kimono with one, three, or five family crests on the back, chest, and shoulders), white tabi (divided-toe socks), white nagajuban (under-kimono) and various types of footwear. In cooler weather, a montsuki haori (long jacket) with a white haori-himo (haori-fastener) completes the outfit. Traditionally made of silk, sendaihira hakama are sometimes made with blends. Sendaihira 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.
Ōguchi-hakama, Uenobakama Both ōguchi-hakama and uenobakama are simultaneously worn with the courtly attire of sokutai (束帯). The ōguchi-hakama (大口袴) are red underpants with a closed crotch, tied at the wearer's left. The uenobakama (表袴), white and with an open fly, is then worn over the ōguchi-hakama, tied off on the right. These hakama designs can be traced to the Nara period.
Kamishimo: kataginu and naga-bakama
Hakama traditionally formed part of a complete outfit called a kamishimo (上下/裃). Worn by samurai and courtiers during the Edo period, the outfit included a formal kimono, hakama, and a sleeveless jacket with exaggerated shoulders called a kataginu. Samurai visiting the shōgun and other high-ranking daimyō at court were sometimes required to wear very long hakama called naga-bakama (lit. 'long hakama'). These resemble normal hakama 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. Naga-bakama are now only worn particularly in Noh plays (including kyōgen), kabuki plays, and Shinto rituals.
Karusan-bakama Some hakama 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 karusan-bakama. 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 hakama. This variety of hakama was also commonly known as tattsuke-hakama.
Sashinuki hakama
Sashinuki (指貫), also called nu-bakama, are a type of hakama that are meant to be worn blousing over the leg and exposing the foot. To accomplish this, they are somewhat longer than normal hakama, and a cord is run through the hem and drawn tight, creating a "ballooning" effect. To accommodate the required body, the more formal sashinuki featured six panels rather than four. Technically, this cord around the ankle makes sashinuki a type of kukuri- (tied) hakama. The earliest form of sashinuki was cut like normal hakama 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. Sashinuki were worn by court nobles with various types of leisure or semi-formal wear.
Yoroi hakama
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