What is a hakama and who wears it?
In the realm of Aikido, there exists a garment of profound significance known as hakama. Equivalent to skirt-like pants, this outfit holds its roots deeply embedded in the annals of samurai tradition. Revered as a piece of artistry, it is customary attire for practitioners of the noble martial arts, including Kendo and Iaido, embodying the essence of ancient wisdom.
Originally devised to shield gallant horsemen's legs from the unforgiving brush, this remarkable creation, much like the rugged leather 'chaps' donned by daring cowboys, exudes resilience and practicality. However, leather was a rarity in the lands of Japan, leading to the ingenious use of robust fabric in its stead. As the passage of time saw the samurai forsake their equestrian pursuits to become foot soldiers, their outfits endured, distinguishing them, and evoking a sense of unmistakable identity.
The hakama, with its diverse repertoire of styles, is a testament to the depth of historical artistry. A contemporary version, adored by today's martial artists, boasts legs and bears the name joba hakama a poetic allusion to the act of stepping into this horseman's legacy. There exists another variant, reminiscent of a tube skirt without legs, as well as an elongated rendition, reserved for grandiose encounters with the esteemed Shogun or the venerable Emperor. The latter, extending some twelve to fifteen feet, required meticulous folding and strategic placement between the visitor's feet and posterior. An ingenious practice indeed, as it demanded shikko, the art of "knee walking," during the audience, rendering any impulsive aggression implausible, for the noble visitor was elegantly restrained.
“‘Why don’t we just say that it’s okay not to wear a hakama until you’re shodan?’ This idea was put forward as a temporary policy to avoid expenses. The idea behind accepting the suggestion had nothing to do with the hakama being a symbol for dan ranking.”
The privilege of wearing the hakama varies amongst schools, where it is exclusively reserved for those bearing the coveted black belts in some, while in others, it graces the forms of all who tread the path of Aikido. Moreover, in certain spheres, women are blessed with the honour of wearing it earlier than men, an ode to modesty and tradition, entwined since the very days when the gi was merely humble undergarments.
O-Sensei, the founder of Aikido, ardently championed the hakama as a garb for all. Rooted in a time and culture where donning this ceremonial attire was a norm, his passionate exhortations resounded across the ages, instilling a timeless reverence for the hakama as a symbol of ancient wisdom and grace.
Wearing it symbolises traditions
"Most of the students were too poor to buy a hakama but it was required to wear one. If they couldn't get one from an older relative, they would take the cover off an old futon, cut it, dye it, and give it to a seamstress to make into a hakama. Since they had to use cheap dye, however, after a while the colourful pattern of the futon would start to show through and the fluff from the futon would start to work its way out of the material." said Morihiro Saito Shihan, about wearing hakama in O-Sensei's dojo in the old days.
"In post-war Japan, many things were hard to get, including cloth,” says Shigenobu Okumura Shihan in Aikido Today Magazine 41. “Because of the shortages, we trained without hakama. We tried to make hakama from air-raid blackout curtains but because the curtains had been hanging in the sun for years, the knees turned to dust as soon as we started doing suwari-waza (seated technique). We were constantly patching these hakama. It was under those conditions that someone came up with a suggestion: "Why don't we just say that it's okay not to wear a hakama until you're shodan?" This idea was put forward as a temporary policy to avoid expenses. The idea behind accepting the suggestion had nothing to do with the hakama being a symbol for dan ranking."
“Currently, most Aikido dojo doesn’t follow O-Sensei’s strict policy about wearing the hakama. Its meaning has degenerated from a symbol of traditional virtue to that of a status symbol for yudansha”
In the book The Principles of Aikido Mitsugi Saotome Shihan writes:
"When I was uchi-deshi (Japanese term for a live-in student/apprentice who trains under and assists a sensei on a full-time basis) to O-Sensei, everyone was required to wear a hakama for practice, beginning with the first time they stepped on the mat. There were no restrictions on the type of hakama you could wear then, so the dojo was a very colourful place. One saw hakama of all sorts, all colours, and all qualities, from kendo hakama, to the striped hakama used in Japanese dance, to the costly silk hakama called sendai-hira (silk fabric). I imagine that some beginning student caught the devil for borrowing his grandfather's expensive hakama, meant to be worn only for special occasions and ceremonies, and wearing out its knees in suwari-waza practice.
I vividly remember the day that I forgot my hakama. I was preparing to step on the mat for practice, wearing only my dogi (training uniform), when O-Sensei stopped me. "Where is your hakama?" he demanded sternly. "What makes you think you can receive your teacher's instruction wearing nothing but your underwear? Have you no sense of propriety? You are obviously lacking the attitude and the etiquette necessary in one who pursues budo training. Go sit on the side and watch the class!"
This was only the first of many scoldings I was to receive from O-Sensei. However, my ignorance on this occasion prompted O-Sensei to lecture his uchi-deshi after class on the meaning of the hakama. He told us that the hakama was traditional garb for kobudo (old martial way) students and asked if any of us knew the reason for the seven pleats in the hakama.
Mitsugi Saotome Shihan
"They symbolise the seven virtues of budo," O-Sensei said. "These are jin (benevolence), gi (honour or justice), rei (courtesy and etiquette), chi (wisdom, intelligence), shin (sincerity), chu (loyalty), and koh (piety). We find these qualities in the distinguished samurai of the past. The hakama prompts us to reflect on the nature of true bushido. Wearing it symbolises traditions that have been passed down to us from generation to generation. Aikido is born of the bushido spirit of Japan, and in our practice, we must strive to polish the seven traditional virtues."
Currently, most Aikido dojo doesn’t follow O-Sensei's strict policy about wearing the hakama. Its meaning has degenerated from a symbol of traditional virtue to that of a status symbol for yudansha (black belt). I have travelled to many dojo in many nations. In many of the places where only the yudansha wear hakama, the yudansha have lost their humility. They think of the hakama as a prize for display, as the visible symbol of their superiority. This type of attitude makes the ceremony of bowing to O-Sensei, with which we begin and end each class, a mockery of his memory and his art.
Worse still, in some dojo, women of kyu rank (and only the women) are required to wear hakama, supposedly to preserve their modesty. To me, this is insulting and discriminatory to women Aikidoka. It is also insulting to male Aikidoka, for it assumes a low-mindedness on their part that has no place on the Aikido mat.
To see the hakama put to such petty use saddens me. It may seem a trivial issue to some people, but I remember very well the great importance that O-Sensei placed on wearing hakama. I cannot dismiss the significance of this garment, and no one, I think, can dispute the great value of the virtues it symbolises. In my dojo and its associated schools, I encourage all students to wear hakama regardless of their rank or grade. (I do not require it before they have achieved their first grading since beginners in the United States do not generally have Japanese grandfathers whose hakama they can borrow.) I feel that wearing the hakama and knowing its meaning, helps students to be aware of the spirit of O-Sensei and keep alive his vision.
If we can allow the importance of the hakama to fade, perhaps we will begin to allow things fundamental to the spirit of Aikido to slip into oblivion as well. If, on the other hand, we are faithful to O-Sensei's wishes regarding our practice dress, our spirits may be more faithful to the dream to which he dedicated his life."
