(, 'practice', , 'dress' or 'clothes'), also known as or , is a traditional uniform worn for training in

Japanese martial arts Japanese martial arts refers to the variety of martial arts native to the country of Japan. At least three Japanese terms (''budō'', ''bujutsu'', and ''bugei'') are used interchangeably with the English phrase Japanese martial arts. The usage ...

and their derivatives. Emerging in the late 19th century, the was developed by

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

founder

Kanō Jigorō was a Japanese judoka, educator, politician, and the founder of judo. Judo was one of the first Japanese martial arts to gain widespread international recognition, and the first to become an official Olympic Games, Olympic sport. Pedagogical ...

Origin

Japanese martial arts historian Dave Lowry speculates that Kanō derived the uniform's design from the uniforms of Japanese firefighters' heavy hemp jackets, . By 1920, the as it exists today was worn by Kanō's students for judo practice; a photo displayed in the

Kodokan The , or ''Kōdōkan'' (講道館), is the headquarters of the worldwide judo community. The ''kōdōkan'' was founded in 1882 by Kanō Jigorō, the founder of judo, and is now an eight-story building in Tokyo. Etymology Literally, ''kō'' ...

(judo headquarters) taken in 1920 shows Kanō himself wearing a modern . Judo newaza

Until the 1920s, Okinawan karate practice was usually performed in everyday clothes. Given the social climate between the Japanese and Okinawans during this time, karate was seen as brutish compared to Japanese martial arts, which had their roots in

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

culture, such as

jujutsu Jujutsu ( , or ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu (both ), is a Japanese martial art and a system of close combat that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdue one or more weaponless or armed and armored opponent ...

. To help market karate to the Japanese,

Gichin Funakoshi was the founder of Shotokan karate. He is known as a "father of modern karate". Following the teachings of Anko Itosu and Anko Asato,Funakoshi, Gichin (1981). ''Karate-Do: My Way of Life'', Kodansha International Ltd. . he was one of the Okin ...

– the founder of

Shotokan is a style of karate, developed from various martial arts by Gichin Funakoshi (1868–1957) and his son Gigo (Yoshitaka) Funakoshi (1906–1945). Gichin Funakoshi was born in Okinawa and is widely credited with popularizing "karate do" thro ...

karate and the instructor responsible for importing karate to mainland Japan – adopted a uniform style similar to Kanō's design.

Construction

Over time, karate practitioners modified the for karate by lightening the weave of the fabric, and adding strings to the inside of the jacket, tied to keep the jacket closed. The jacket is also held closed by a belt or . The top part of the is called the . The trousers of the are called , or . In modern times, white, black, blue and indigo are the most common colours of . In competitive judo, one contestant wears a white uniform, and their opponent wears a royal blue one. However, traditionally, the was white in all instances. Commonly used include: * ,

aikido Aikido ( , , , ) is a gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art which is split into many different styles including Iwama Ryu, Iwama Shin Shin Aiki Shuren Kai, Shodokan Aikido, Yoshinkan, Renshinkai, Aikikai, and Ki Aikido. Aikido is now practic ...

uniform) * Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gi/kimono ( Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu uniform) * ,

Korean martial arts Korean martial arts ( or ) are fighting practices and methods which have their place in the history of Korea but have been adapted for use by both military and non-military personnel as a method of personal growth or recreation. The history of ...

uniform * ,

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

uniform *

kendo is a modern Japanese martial art, descended from kenjutsu (one of the old Japanese martial arts, swordsmanship), that uses bamboo swords ( shinai) as well as protective armor ( bōgu). It began as samurai warriors' customary swordsmanship ex ...

uniform, consisting of an and a * Sambo uniform * , Vietnamese martial arts uniform can also be replaced by , meaning 'the way', referring to both the martial art and the lifestyle of the martial artist. In this, it is similar to the term for Korean martial arts uniforms, .

materials

* Single weave: A lighter material, cooler for use in the summer. * Double weave: A very thick material, not as cool as other weaves. * Gold weave: Between a single and double weave thickness; gold weave was initially required by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation in order to standardize for competitions. * Platinum weave: Lighter than gold weave, cooler for use in the summer.

Notes

References

External links

{{Japanese clothing 1920s fashion Japanese martial arts terminology Martial arts uniforms Uniforms Japanese words and phrases