Re. Material in FAQ.There is a great deal of useful information here but perhaps it needs to be placed in a wider cultural context. Here are some extracts from the relevant entry in Kodansha's "Japan: An Illustrated Encyclopedia", (ISBN 4-06-205938-X) published 1993, Page 490: "Hakama:
Loose trousers tied at the waist with a cord and worn over the kimono as part of a formal or ceremonial Japanese-style dress. Men's hakama underwent a variety of changes over time: the legs were widened, pleats were added at the waist, and they were bound at the ankles with cord threaded through the hem. During the Heian Period (794-1185) court ladies wore loose-fitting, crimson hakama with their formal court ensemble called JUNIHITOE (meaning 12 layers of clothing). Hakama were worn by court ladies of the Kamakura (1185-1333) and Muromachi (1333-1568) periods with kosode (a type of long-sleeved kimono. In the Meiji period (1868-1912) the kosode and hakama combination was the school uniform for girls. Traditional formal dress for men consists of a hakama and a jacket known as the haori, usually imprinted with the man's family crest." A Japanese bridegroom often wears this kind of dress at his wedding, for example. As for putting on the hakama, you are right that there are a multitude of different ways, usually preferred ways taught by teachers to their students. However, I should add a note of caution about the diagram in FAQ. In the FAQ diagram, the wearer first ties the back cords around the chest, to keep the back of the hakama firmly in place and then ties the front cords. However, the wearer ties these cords at the back. I think it is dangerous to do this and at least one famous sensei has suffered injury to the spine from taking a breakfall and landing on the knot of the hakama tied in this way. It is safer to bring these front cords round to the front and tie them at the navel. Of course, I have seen a number of senseis tie their hakama in this way, but these senseis hardly ever take ukemi and so are rarely faced with this problem. Whether you follow the FAQ diagram, with the caution expressed above, and tie up the back cords first to keep the back of the hakama in place, or leave the back part and back cords till the very end, in any case, you have to tie the front cords first and then tie the back cords, making sure that the two pairs of cords are interconnected. I myself use both ways. As for the other material on the hakama in FAQ, it is interesting, and sometimes amusing, but I would be interested to know the source for O Sensei's seven virtues representing seven folds. It sounds a little like the theory of kotodama and other 'mysteries', possibly based on the myths recorded in the Kojiki. As for the conventions surrounding the wearing of the hakama in modern aikido, I think they are precisely that: conventions, without any deep 'metaphysical' explanation. Thus, even though the Hombu has adopted the custom of men wearing the hakama only on reaching shodan, but of women wearing it on reaching the first kyu, I did not particularly feel hard done by. To reach shodan, receive the diploma from Doshu, put on the black belt, and then the hakama, gave me at least a strong sense of achievement. It also required one to exercise more care than one might do with simply a keikogi in making sure that one was properly dressed for the dojo, with pants not too long, and the obi (belt) & hakama correctly tied, so that the unspeakable did not happen and the hakama drop to the wearer's ankles in mid-technique. Being properly dressed for the dojo is of great importance, especially here in Japan. Finally, I use a fairly long obi about 12 cm wide, which is wrapped round the waist and then tucked in. This means that there is no knot at the navel, unlike with a judo-style belt. I believe this type of obi is used in iaido and I know that the late Doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba used to use one of this type, of course, white. Is this type of obi common among members of the 'AJ Martial Arts Academy'? Best wishes to everyone, P A Goldsbury [This message has been edited by P Goldsbury (edited 01-31-2001).] |
