the hakama takes some getting used to. You should always put your left leg in first and take it out first when taking off the hakama. The only rationale I have heard for this is that if you are attacked, you can easily drop the hakama and move forward with your right leg.
When you have both legs in you should pull up the front of the hakama so that the top edge is just under your belly button. You then pass the long tapes from the front of the hakama around your waist and cross them under your abdomen at about six inches (15 cm) below the top edge of the hakama. As you do this, turn the tapes over so that they “lock” in place. Then keeping the tension on, take the tapes round to your back and tie in a bow. At this stage, pull your keikogi down so that it does not bunch up at the back. Once the front is in place, you should find a plastic tag on the inside of the hakama below the koshi -ita. Push this inside the bow and then take the rear tapes and cross them over and take the top tape under the point where the front tapes cross. Tie a flat knot and tuck each tape over the tapes at the sides of the hakama, ensuring that they are pushed down tightly. When worn, the front of the hakama should come to just above your toes and be slightly higher at the back.
Both keikogi and hakama should be folded after practice as per the diagrams. Before first use they should be soaked in cool water with the addition of either a cup of salt or white vinegar to help set the indigo dye. Even when this is done they will continue to bleed color, so they should be washed separately by hand in cool water. A useful tip to keep in mind is that if you pull them into shape immediately after washing and hang them in sunlight it will minimise the need for ironing. You should hang the keikogi inside out to avoid sun bleaching and use a clip type hanger to keep the hakama’s pleats in place.
How to fold a hakama
First straighten the back pleat and then turn over to ensure that the front pleats are in place. Fold in the outside edges so that the hakama forms a rectangle. Make two even folds, taking the hakama to a third of its length. Now double up each of the long rear obi ties to form an even X shape the size of the folded hakama. Take the two short front obi ties over and under the center of the X and loop over the ties nearest to you. Finally secure by pulling the loose end on the left through the top right loop.
Folding Keikogi
Bogu
Selecting bogu or armor is even more baffling. The choice of styles, qualities, and brands is enormous as is the price range. You can buy hand-stitched, machine-stitched, even machine-stitched to look like hand-stitched bogu. Dou are available with traditional bamboo dou plates covered in leather and lacquer or made from synthetic material. So you need to think long and hard about what quality bogu you need and how much you are prepared to pay for it.
The two main types of bogu are hand-stitched and machine-stitched. The former is vastly more expensive and a top class handmade bogu may take several years to make and equates to the price of a new car. Both hand-stitched and machine-stitched armor is classified by the closeness of the stitching. Machine stitching normally comes in.24 inches (6mm),.16 inch (4mm) or .12 inch (3mm) whereas hand stitching uses the traditional Japanese measures of bu and rin and ranges from 1bu through 1bu 2rin to 1bu 5rin to 2bu.
The more space between stitches the lower the price, so.24 inches (6mm) bogu is less expensive than.12 inch (3mm) and likewise 2bu is less expensive than 1bu. It is worth bearing in mind that loose stitched bogu needs to be thick, because it works by absorbing impact. Tight stitching deflects, so it is as much a case of personal preference as to which is best. A new type of 2bu hand-stitched armor is enjoying a boom at the moment as it is soft and light.
What you buy is up to you and your bank manager, but the only advice I would give you is to check what material goes into the construction of the bogu. Ideally it should be made from compressed wool felt and cotton, whereas some cheaper quality sets are padded with foam rubber which breaks down inside the covering and leaves the wearer more susceptible to injury. It is also essential to ensure that your bogu fits correctly, particularly your men and kote. Badly fitting bogu will be uncomfortable and make keiko more difficult. Your men should be a good fit for the size of your face and should be deep enough to finish level with the back of your head. Your eyes should line up with the space between the 6th and 7th bars from the top. Kote are made to fit your hand in the grip position so need not be measured against an open hand; instead they should fit comfortably when your hand is in grip position. Fingers should not be compressed and there should be no excess room in the atama or hand part of the kote. The protruding bones in the wrist itself should be protected by the kote buton “the main sleeve” and not the softer tsutsu.
Putting on bogu
Bogu should be put on sitting in seiza. First on is the tare which should line up with the top of the hakama. The tare obi should be passed around the waist and tied under the front flap. The dou follows with the longer himo taken over your back and crossed over the opposite shoulder. The himo should then be pushed through the chichikawa leather at the top of the dou and a loop made around the main part and the himo. The loop should lean towards the outside of the chichikawa and the remaining end should be pushed inside the dou. The other long himo should be tied in the same way, aiming to keep the dou level. Finally the short himo at the bottom of the dou should be tied across your back in a horizontal bow. The dou should sit just above the bottom of the tare waistband.
Dou and tare can be put on either in the dojo or the changing room depending on the dojo custom.
Placing men and kote
Men and kote are put on in the dojo at the command “Men wo tsuke.” We will again touch on this when we look at reigi.
Your men and kote should be placed together by your right knee in line with those of the rest of the dojo members. Men himo should be folded neatly and placed inside the men. The positioning of kote and tenugui varies from dojo to dojo. Some favor the kote in a straight line from your body; others stipulate a 90 degree angle with the left kote in front. Some dojo drape fresh tenugui over the men; others keep it folded and place it inside.
Tying tenugui
There are various ways that the tenugui can be worn. Two require the tenugui to be tied as you put on your men. The other uses a clever origami technique to prefabricate a tenugui hat.
Method 1
Holding the two rear corners, pull the tenugui tightly against the back of your head bringing the left hand corner across to the right and cover the resultant flap by repeating the process from the right. You now have a triangular flap made up of the two tenugui ends in front of your eyes. Pull this straight back, tucking the tail end under if necessary, so that it does not protrude from the back of your men.
Method 2
Hold the center of the lower edge between your teeth. Pull the left and then the right edges of the tenugui around the back of your head and tie the two top corners in front of the top of your forehead. Release the lower edge and pull backwards.
Method
