Zori Balayan

Zori (), also rendered as zōri ( ja, , ), are thonged Japanese sandals made of rice straw, cloth, lacquered wood, leather, rubber, or—most commonly and informally—synthetic materials. They are a slip-on descendant of the tied-on sandal.

Similar in form, modern flip-flops became popular in the United States, Australia and New Zealand when soldiers returning from World War II brought Japanese zori with them.

Use

Like many Japanese sandals, zori are easily slipped on and off, which is important in Japan, where shoes are removed and put back on when entering and leaving a house, and where tying shoelaces would be impractical when wearing traditional clothing.

The traditional forms of zori are seen when worn with other traditional clothing. Modern forms are fairly common, however, with casual Western wear, especially in summer. While geta are now mostly worn with the informal , traditional zori are often worn with the more formal kimono.

In rain, zori may be worn with toe covers ( zori).

Materials

File:Home Made Shoes in Japan (1914-09 by Elstner Hilton) (borders cropped).jpg, Zori were traditionally made in the home, as were . Note twine warp, held between hands and toes, and loose-fiber weft, to his right.
File:Zori sandals instructions.jpg, Pictorial instructions on how to weave or in Hida Minzoku Mura Folk Village; woven footwear is uncommonly produced, especially for practical necessity, in Japan in the present day.
File:大祭 人足衆 草履 (3521710144) (cropped).jpg, Similar roughly-woven festival zori, but with the straps wrapped in fabric before being twisted together.
File:Which pair? (7112693815).jpg, More finely-woven zori (the thong is also further back). Sewn-on outsoles are just visible at the edges.

The zori originated as a slip-on form of the tie-on . In the Edo period (1603-1867), the production of zori became professionalized, and a variety of fancy types of zori emerged, using fancier materials. While zori were still commonly woven of rice straw ( , literally "straw zori"), rushes of various kinds and bamboo sheath were also used. If they were made of something less cheap than rice straw, an extra outsole was often sewn on. This could be made of coiled hemp rope (), wistaria stems, (), or wood in lateral strips ( or ). Leather soles were used on . Modernly, polyurethane and cork are used as outsoles.

Zori also have a variety of upper surfaces. Zori with a woven wicker covering are referred to as If it is woven of rice straw (as above), they are . If they are woven on the same four-warp pattern, but using a weft of bamboo sheath (peelings of bamboo culms), they are zori, literally bamboo-skin zori. The topsole may also be woven of common rush (). This is the material used for most tatami mats, and are also woven on the same many-warp pattern as tatami.

Raffia, rattan, and paper strips (treated and twisted to resemble rush) are also used in topsoles. (sense two, a footwear top surface of igusa (soft rush), rattan, or bamboo sheath) Some soles are skiamorphic moldings that look like woven topsoles. Topsoles might also be made of cloth, leather, vinyl cloth, or EVA foam. Soles made entirely of waterproof (usually synthetic) materials are called zori, literally rain-soled zori., , Elastomer zori are called .

Wrapping straw straps with cloth makes the zori into (cloth zori, ) Modern zori are usually made with the straps as a separate piece, not woven at the same time as the sole.

The are the straps holding the sole to the foot; the part that should fit loosely between the toes is the , and the side-straps are the . , like zori soles, are traditionally symmetrical, with no difference between left and right, though some designs diverge from this.

The of informal zori can be made of a velour-like material, as is often the case for zori. The of more formal colored vinyl zori are either vinyl or fabric straps. The fabric is often either the fabric used for the shoe, or (a type of Japanese crepe, of silk or rayon), or cotton, often with a different, softer fabric underneath. Men's zori may also feature leather or leather imitation .

Traditionally, are adjusted to the wearer, being tied through three holes by strings attached to the straps. (mostly pictorial) can wear and stretch easily; in such instances, the can be adjusted or replaced through small flaps in the soles, which conceal the knots that hold them in place. In other instances, however, the can be entirely inaccessible, requiring the glued sole to be split open, or entire shoe to be replaced.

Varieties and formalities

File:Zori-or.jpg, Side view of a semi-formal vinyl zori. Two-fabric , softer beneath.
File:Zori1.jpg, Modern formal vinyl women's zori
File:Sandals - Hirata Folk Art Museum - Takayama, Gifu, Japan - DSC06786.jpg, Historic cloth-covered zori
File:Gomuzori.jpg, Rubber zori, frequently used in bathrooms, and left at the bathroom door
File:どれにしようかな。 (9533503205).jpg, EVA flip-flops for sale in Kanagawa Prefecture; note asymmetry
File:エナメル (2100306811).jpg, Glossy vinyl zori
File:Zori.jpg, zori with a stitched-on outsole. These seem to be made of paper "rush"
File:MET DP14486.jpg, 1800s ; top surface woven
File:Setta,japanese-leather-soled-sandals,japan.JPG, ; the top surface is a moulded imitation of the surface in the previous image
File:581px-Zori in Aoi festival 1a.jpg, Zori being worn, with an extra tie around the ankle, hitched around each strap
File:Jidai Matsuri 2009 080.jpg, Zori being worn


Both the gender of the wearer and the formality of the occasion affects the choice of zori. Regardless of variety, zori are almost always worn with socks.

Women's zori are seldom flat, save for zori. The soles come in different thicknesses and angles, and are typically covered by vinyl or fabric, though some modern varieties feature a hard black plastic sole with a non-slip base. In contrast, men's zori almost always feature a flat sole.

Zori with a woven wicker covering are referred to as zori are generally considered to be relatively formal zori, even if the covering is a vinyl imitation of a woven bamboo-sheath cover. Though most zori with a cover are considered to be menswear - known as - traditional women's footwear with a cover also exist, though these are generally confined to the variety of geta. In contrast, zori are more modern, and are not worn with kimono, but are considered working wear or are sometimes matched with casual Western or Japanese clothing. These zori more closely resemble a flat sandal with a woven base.

Setta were historically mostly , but , they were often ; they were also increasingly likely to have coloured and patterned straps.

Vinyl or plastic zori are next in formality. They are worn with formal clothing such as a semi-formal kimono. The most formal variety of zori are generally worn by women; they are brocade covered zori that are used with the most formal of kimono, such as wedding and funeral wear.

The , or thongs, may be white or black, depending on the occasion; white are worn with formal zori, with black considered to be informal. They may also complement the colour of the garment. Black, white, and red are traditional and commonly mass-produced, but colourful with a variety of patterns, sometimes chosen separately from the zori, are also popular. (see enlarged image)

See also

* Geta, traditional Japanese wooden sandals
* , traditional Japanese wooden clogs
* , traditional Japanese split-toed socks
* , traditional Japanese split-toed boots
* , a simpler form of traditional Japanese sandal
* , a zori that comes to life when possessed by a

Notes

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zori
Sandals
Japanese footwear
Straw objects
Weaving