Bu Jin Hakama FAQ

When can I wear a hakama?
It depends upon the rules or conventions of your organization or dojo, or of one you may be visiting, so you should find out what those are. Many types of arrangements exist today. Some associations reward attainment of a certain rank with the privilege of wearing a hakama, while others view the hakama as an integral part of the training uniform from day one. In some dojo, hakama-wearing is a function of gender and/or rank, and in yet others, it is left to personal choice and may symbolize an individual's personal commitment to a path of study.

Why do I see some people wearing black hakama and others wearing dark blue? Is there anything I should know about the different colors? What about white hakama?

You can never go wrong with basic black, so if you are planning to travel and visit unfamiliar dojo, you will do well to outfit yourself with a black hakama. Otherwise, the custom and convention in your dojo is what you should pay attention to. Often, the color choice has no significance whatsoever and is simply a matter of personal preference. However, in some cases, color may be used to subtly distinguish newer students from "seasoned" ones, with the newer students wearing black and the more experienced ones wearing either blue or black, their choice. White hakama are sometimes used in various arts or for certain occasions.

What should I look for in a hakama?
Your hakama is in for a lot of wear and tear, especially if you train hard and often. Overall, you should look at several key areas.

• The fabric. Flimsy fabric has a short, sad life and, incidentally, makes for maddeningly wimpy himo. Go for sturdy, tightly woven fabric you can depend on to last, and check shrinkage and care instructions.
• The construction. The way the hakama is put together is just as important as the fabric. Look for strong thread, tight stitches, and straight reinforced seams that will hold the hakama together against the rigors of training (like when someone steps on your hem just as you are launching into a high fall!).
• The koshiita. If your hakama has a traditional style koshiita, you won't want a backing of cardboard or brittle plastic; look instead for rubber or vinyl, which are more durable and flexible.
• The himo. Be sure both the front and back himo are sufficiently long to wrap securely around your waist and hips. And if you are an aikido student, be sure you don't need to tie a knot in the back, where you might roll on it.
• The fit. Look for comfort and fit, too, because these are safety factors. Your hakama should not bind in any way and should hang loose and straight over your hips. Bu Jin offers a wide range of sizes, including a women's version, that will accommodate the "average" figure as well as the "not so average" figure.

How long should my hakama be?
You can wear your hakama at whatever length you find most safe and comfortable. Today in martial arts, the trend is for the hakama to fall somewhere around the ankle, but it really depends on the custom of your art or dojo. Kendo, jujutsu, and kenjutsu practitioners tend to prefer somewhat shorter hakama, whereas some aikido practitioners choose a longer length. Around thirty or forty years ago, aikido students at Honbu Dojo in Tokyo wore quite short dogi pants and hakama, which ended well above the ankle. Trends or fashion changed and longer hakama became popular.

In deciding how long you want your hakama to be, the best advice is to look around your dojo, check to see if your instructor has any particular requirements, and then decide what you will feel most comfortable with. There will definitely be a learning curve with your first hakama, and you can expect to get tangled up in it at one time or another. We've found that folks generally start out with their first hakama a little on the short side, in order not to trip up so often, and then add an inch or two the next time they reorder several years later.

A Bu Jin Design Hakama is made to order, so you can specify the exact length you want, and we will hem it for you.

What is the best way to determine the length of hakama I need?
We suggest that if at all possible, before you buy your first hakama, borrow a friend's to try on and move around in. It is best if you borrow someone's whose hip bones are about the same height from the floor as yours. Tie on your obi, and then put on the hakama and do some warm-ups and stretches, take a back-fall on the carpet and so on. You might repeat this process a time or two, with your obi tied at different places around your hips/waist. Determine the resting-place for your obi and hakama, and then from there, you can go on to the next step of determining the length.

Why go to all this trouble? We have found that obi placement and tying-on methods can make a significant difference in the final length of an hakama; what may seem to be the right length in theory can turn out to be three inches too short in actuality.

So, using the hakama you are trying on, decide if you like that length, or if you should shorten or lengthen it by X number of inches (or centimeters). For this you will need either a friend or a mirror, and preferably both. You should then remove the hakama, measure it, and then add or subtract the X number of inches you have decided upon.

At this point, you must know whether to measure the front or the back of the hakama. Since there is no standard sizing among hakama manufacturers, you will have to know the system your manufacturer uses.

At Bu Jin Design, we measure in the front, including the waistband. Full instructions and information are given on our Ordering a Hakama page.

How should I tie my hakama on?
Good question, and perhaps the most often asked. Trying to devise a satisfactory set of written instructions for hakama tying is like trying to explain relativity...well, almost. Seriously, for now, the best method of transmitting the secrets of hakama tying is still the traditional sempai-to-kohai method, "Ask a senior student." There is no definitive way to tie on a hakama, since different arts have different requirements. Kendo and iaido practitioners, for example, often tie the back on first and then the front, while Aikido practitioners commonly do the reverse, finding that the hakama stays on better for taking ukemi. So start with your friendly sempai.

One thing is for certain: regardless of your style or art, your size, shape, experience level or anything else, your hakama needs a solid anchor. If you don't tie your obi tightly and securely (very tightly and securely), your hakama is sure to give you trouble.

Where should I wear my hakama - at my waist, or lower around my hips? I see people doing different things.
The hakama typically sits low on the hips, the original reason being that samurai affixed their swords to their obi and hakama. The sword, or katana, had to be in a quick-and-easy draw position, which meant at hip level. (Try it, and you'll find that it is considerably harder and slower to draw a katana that is situated at waist level.) Not only that, but hara and hip movement are integral to the use and control of a sword, a fact of which iaido practitioners are acutely aware.

Even in arts that do not use the sword, the hara or center is fundamental to training. Whether you are a man or a woman, you may find that the lower positioning of the hakama serves as a physical reminder of the location of your center. Find the place that feels most comfortable to you by giving it some test runs. The hakama will "settle" into a place that works best for you.

How should I fold my hakama when I've finished training?
The folding of your hakama following training can serve as a cooling down period, a time to reflect while performing a repetitive, somewhat meditative task. It also serves to keep your hakama looking good by sharpening the pleats, flattening out the himo and so on, making it ready for your next session on the mat. While there are a number of folding methods, here is a traditional one that works well:

How should I care for my hakama? Should I wash it? How often?
The "how often" part should be a function of your training habits, the season, and the surface you train on. We have found that there's a wide range in cleaning intervals...from once a month to once or twice a year. It's really a matter of common sense and acceptable hygiene. Whereas the dogi should be laundered after each use, the hakama usually doesn't require such frequent cleaning.

You can wash, dry-clean or "freshen" (hang in the sun between washings or cleanings) your hakama. Whether you wash or dry-clean depends on the hakama fabric, shrinkage considerations, and your personal preference. When purchasing a hakama, it's a good idea to ask about fabric care instructions and to decide which cleaning method you will use, since these factors often have an impact on shrinkage. For more information, see our Ordering a Hakama page.

I have not seen Aiki-style Koshiita, Extended Front Panel, or Women's Hakama anywhere else except at Bu Jin Design. What are they all about?
They are refinements and innovations that improve comfort, fit, and appearance. In 1988, we introduced the Aiki-style Koshiita, a sensible modification of the traditional angular koshiita, which may sometimes cause discomfort or injury during aikido ukemi. The Aiki-Koshiita eliminates the problematic angles and rigid backing of the traditional koshiita and has become the style of choice for many aikido practitioners.

The Extended Front Panel was developed to address the needs of individuals who are experiencing a "hiking up" of the front hem and a "bowing out" of the side vents - essentially, a poorly fitting hakama. We discovered that this is caused in part by the position of one's obi, which in turn is determined by body shape. If you think you are a candidate for the Extended Front Panel, see the Ordering a Hakama page.

The Women's Hakama (and the Women's Dogi, as well) is one of those "Why did it take so long?" things - like women's jeans. With more women than ever now training in the martial arts, we felt it was high time that women have more options for a proper fit. We found we could inconspicuously tweak the measurements of the traditional hakama to successfully address concerns such as ill-fitting pleats, buckling side vents, koshiita that are too wide, and uneven hems. We did the same thing with the dogi, and we are pleased to be the first to offer women a real choice in their training garments.