The "Hakama" (an article of clothing resembling skirt-like pants) is a traditional piece of Samauri garb worn by most Aikidoka. There are many stories, theories, and anecdotes about why this complex piece of clothing is worn by the many practicioners of various martial arts (e.g. Aikido, Jiu Jutsu, Kendo, even Karate). Hence it was necessary to compile the reasoning of the Hakama from many of the honoured teachers. Please feel free to E-Mail any additional commentary on this topic.

Click here to view instructions for wearing or folding the Hakama.

"The hakama is intended to symbolize the seven virtues of Budo. They are jin (benevolence), gi (honor and justice), rei (courtesy and etiquette), chi (wisdom and 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 true nature of bushido. Wearing it symbolizes the traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation. In our practice we must strive to polish the seven traditional virtues."

"When I was uchi deshi 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 colorful place. One saw hakama of all sorts, all colors and all qualities, from kendo hakama, to the striped hakama used in Japanese dance, to the costly silk hakama called sendai-hira. 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 suwariwaza 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, 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 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 students and asked if any of us knew the reason for the seven pleats in the hakama.

"They symbolize the seven virtues of budo," O Sensei said. "These are jin (benevolence), gi (honor 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 symbolizes 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 do not 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. I have traveled 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 symbolizes. 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."

"The hakama, so much a part of modern martial arts, originated as a type of ceremonial or formal garment worn by the warrior class in Japan in the 13th or 14th centuries. Samurai were required to appear in hakama while on duty or when paying an official visit to a lord's castle. Performers of Kabuki or Noh theatre later wore the hakama when dictated by certain roles. Over time, social convention changed and the hakama found its way into the populace, as merchants and businessmen began wearing the hakama, much as a suit and tie are worn today. Eventually, the common citizen and laborer adopted the hakama as formal wear for special occasions. The hakama became the suit or tuxedo of the times.

But the hakama was not only for pomp and circumstance. Samurai, of course, had their work cut out for them, and there were times when they needed their "Levi's." They often wore the ba jou bakama, or "horse riding hakama," an adaptation of the formal hakama, which had a long inseam, allowing for greater mobility. The ba jou bakama was a type of culottes, and is the garment we see used most often in martial arts today.

Another type of "working hakama" was the tsutsu bakama, literally "pipe hakama." Derived from the ba jou bakama, the "pipe hakama" were similar to the pants we wear today. As the name implies, they were less full and lacked the long pleats found in the traditional hakama. Sometimes called "no bakama," or "field hakama," they were used by warriors in times of battle, as well as by farmers working the fields.

Ba jou bakama and tsutsu bakama were garments for males. The hakama that women wore were similar to modern skirts, in that they lacked the koshiita in the back and did not have separate legs. This was because women's kimono were very long, and their hakama were worn for no other activity than attending formal and ceremonial events.

Following convention, the women warriors of the castle did not wear hakama. These special women, whose job it was to protect the estate's female royalty and courtesans, were trained in the martial arts, particularly in naginata and kodachi (short sword). To make their kimono more suitable for fighting, they would tuck the hem of their kimono into their obi and tie their long sleeves up about their arms with tasukigake, or silk bindings. It wasn't until modern times that women began wearing hakama for martial arts training.

Today, hakama are commonly worn by practitioners of aikido, kendo, iaido, jujutsu, naginata, kyudo, and many of the koryu, or ancient arts. These hakama are of the ba jou bakama type, and are colored either black or dark blue, and occasionally dark brown and white. Although these hakama are clearly "working hakama," they continue to represent a formality and respectability that is inherent in budo.

As an indication of the significance of the hakama, one story by an aikido shihan relates how O-Sensei, the founder of aikido, is said to have reacted upon seeing some of his students practicing without hakama. "Why are you not properly attired for keiko!" he is said to have demanded. From the next day on, all of his students wore hakama, although there was a great variety of styles and colors at the time, due to post World War II scarcities.

O-Sensei's indignation went beyond his concern for mere propriety in the dojo. The study of budo involves not only the acquisition of the techniques of a martial art, but also the forging of the spirit inherent within Japanese bushido or the warrior's way. How one carries one's body, mind and spirit at all times is an important part of the process of walking down the martial path.

It is said that when a swordsmith begins to forge a Japanese katana, he first cleanses his body, attires himself in white clothing, and then settles into a state of egoless "mu" before undertaking his job. Rather than being a purely physical process, the creation of a katana is viewed as a ceremonial task, with the katana embodying the spirit of Japan and the soul of the samurai. The aikido Founder's remarks refer to this kind of spirit.

The Hakama in Aikido Today:

Currently, a black or dark blue ba jou bakama, with its parallelogram-shaped koshiita, is the style most commonly seen in aikido dojo around the world. Worn with a white dogi and an obi, the hakama completes the uniform of the aikido practitioner. The hakama, dogi and obi may sometimes be embellished with embroidery of the practitioner's name or affiliation emblem, but more often than not, the uniforms are plain.

The question is often raised, "When is a student allowed to wear a hakama?" and the answer varies. In some organizations, the hakama may be worn from the first day by all students -- yudansha and beginners, male and female alike. In some cases, it may be that the hakama is optional, up to a certain kyu rank. In others, the wearing of hakama is determined by a student's rank or gender, often with women wearing hakama in the kyu ranks, and men wearing it after attaining shodan rank or even higher. Like the white, black or colored belt system, the use of hakama to indicate rank is a relatively recent development in the martial arts. It is always best to follow the custom of your dojo.

The nature of aikido training (ukemi, in particular) calls for a sturdier hakama than that required for kendo, iaido, or kyudo, in which there is minimal if any falling and rolling. The aikido hakama must be comfortable to the wearer during the fast and wide-ranging movements of ukemi, and it must stay put, despite pulls and tugs during training. Practitioners should look for a well-made, well-fitting garment that addresses the issues of durability and comfort. Having confidence in your equipment means that you can concentrate on your training."

Q: Dear Just Ask Jim: What's that blue thing doing there?

"You are either referring to a cut from the 'They Might Be Giants' album or to my hakama. So hakama I wear a dress? One word: Tradition! (The chorus from "Fiddler on the Roof" swells in the background.) I've heard a number of explanations of why Aikidoka wear the hakama: they hide our footwork; they're traditional samurai garb; they help us keep our centers, but they're mainly just excuses. I suspect that we wear them because they look cool and give an aura of exotic dignity."