Yeah, I stole this picture.

Hakama are a form of traditional Japanese clothing that can be worn by either men or women over kimono. They look like a skirt at first glance, but they may be either divided or undivided. They are most easily recognizable by the ties (himo) that secure them, as well as the seven deep pleats: five in front, two in back. Historically, they were usually meant for samurai or shinto priests and priestesses, but now, they are reserved for martial arts, tea ceremonies, and extremely formal occasions.

The hakama has an intensely formal connotation within Japan: they are still worn by maintainers of shrines; women and men must tie hakama differently (varying from the specific tie to even where the knot itself is located), as well as wearing them differently (women tie them just under the bust, while men wear them around the waist); some martial arts practitioners have their own particular way of folding hakama.

The history of the design of the hakama is varied and spotted with legend, but a few interesting points that may or may not actually be true:

• In the Heian period, cords usually ran through the ankle-area of the hakama to make the fabric bloom out. This was called sashinuki hakama, and it was worn by court nobles.
• During the Sengoku period, hakama were fashioned to fit more narrowly at the ankle to create a ballooning effect - all to imitate the trouser-style of the Portuguese. This style carried into the Edo period and was called karusan-bakama.
• When a samurai visited a daimyo or the shogun, he was required to wear hakama with a train of two or three feet (naga-bakama), which seriously hindered walking. This was supposedly to stall an assassination attempt.
• The hakama are a part of the uniform for many martial arts because of the fact that they generall cover the feet; this hides your footwork and makes it easier to surprise your opponent.

The most nontraditional hakama of them all

My hakama are not made the way they should be; they should be made out of stiff silk and with a specific pattern or color (striped or patterned for men's hakama, which is what these are modeled to be, or a solid color for women's hakama). My hakama are made out of a white bedsheet, and I look like a color-confused shinto priestess in this picture, and I also have them tied in the wrong place (around my hips, rather than my waist).They're an altered design because I created them for the purposes of cosplay in the blazing summer heat and when I sew, I like to do it with the confidence that whatever I'm doing will be functional. I do have the correct number of pleats, though, and these are generally very comfortable.

Sources: Wikipedia

C.D.