(, "practice", , "dress or "clothes"), also known as or , is a traditional uniform worn for training in Japanese martial arts and their derivatives. Emerging in the late 19th century, the was developed by

judo is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, 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 Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...

founder Kanō Jigorō.

Origin

Japanese martial arts historian

Dave Lowry David John Lowry (born February 14, 1965) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former professional player. He is currently an associate coach with the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played in the NHL from 1985 to 2004. Lowr ...

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

Until the 1920s,

Okinawan karate Okinawan may refer to: * Something of or relating to: ** Okinawa Island ** Okinawa Islands ** Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawan language, an endangered language spoken by the people of Okinawa Island * Okinawan people, a subgroup of the Ryukyuan peop ...

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 were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

culture, such as

jujutsu Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdu ...

. To help market karate to the Japanese,

Gichin Funakoshi was a japanese martial artist who is regarded as the founder of Shotakan karate, perhaps the most widely known style of karate, and is known as a "father of modern karate". Following the teachings of Anko Itosu and Anko Asato,Funakoshi, Gich ...

– 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" throug ...

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 blue one. However, traditionally, the was white in all instances. Commonly used include: * ,

aikido Aikido ( , , , ) is a modern Japanese martial art that 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 practiced in aroun ...

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

Korean martial arts Korean martial arts (Hangul: 무술, Hanja: 武術, ''musul'' or Hangul: 무예, Hanja: 武藝, ''muye'') 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 ...

uniform * ,

uniform * , karate uniform * kendo uniform, consisting of an and a *

Sambo , aka = Sombo (in English-speaking countries) , focus = Hybrid , country = Soviet Union , pioneers = Viktor Spiridonov, Vasili Oshchepkov, Anatoly Kharlampiev , famous_pract = List of Practitioners , oly ...

uniform * ,

Vietnamese martial arts Traditional Vietnamese martial arts (''Võ thuật Cổ truyền Việt Nam''; Chữ Hán: 武術古傳越南) often referred to as Võ thuật ( Chữ Hán: 武術), can be loosely divided into those of the Sino-Vietnamese descended from ...

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 The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) is a for-profit company that hosts several of the biggest Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) tournaments in the world, including the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, World No-Gi Championship, Pan Ji ...

in order to standardize for competitions. * Platinum weave: Lighter than gold weave, cooler for use in the summer.

Notes

References

External links