Uniform
The
practice uniform of the Japanese martial arts is commonly called gi, which
in Japanese means clothing. However, the actual term for practice
clothing is keikogior dogi, where keiko means exercise, workout, practice.
Today a convenient way to refer to the practice uniform of a Japanese martial
art is to use the name of the system (e.g. Aikidogi).
The keikogi as
we know it today appeared around the late 19th century and consists of the uwagi (the
top half of the uniform - jacket), the pants, called shitabaki and
the belt (obi)
So, aikidogi is
the official Japanese name for the white uniform used in the practice of aikido
and only in the recent years due to the increasing popularity of the art around
the world, it began the large-scale production of keikogi specifically
for aikido. The aikidogi tends to differ from the uniforms of
the other martial arts with details that reflect the unique aspects
of aikido.
Although
the tradition in every school differs in most aikido dojo has prevailed for the
adults to wear white or black belt depending on their level.
Hakama
The hakamais
the wide pants, black or dark blue colour (which looks like a skirt). It is a
traditional Japanese cloth, which initially was meant to protect the
riders’ legs from the horses’ back.
The seven
pleats of hakama (5 in the front and 2 in the back), is said to symbolize the
seven virtues of budo (Japanese martial arts):
Yuki =
courage, valor, bravery
Jin =
humanity, charity, benevolence
Gi =
justice, righteousness, integrity
Rei =
etiquette, courtesy, civility (also means bow/obeisance)
Makoto =
sincerity, honesty, reality
Chugi =
loyalty, fidelity, devotion
Meiyo =
honor, credit, glory; also reputation, dignity, prestige
In many
aikido schools and according to the tradition of each school only the
instructors and the yudansha(those who have black belt) wear hakama or
students who have achieved some level by understanding the fundamental
principles of aikido. In some schools women wear the hakama earlier
than men, since the keikogi is traditionally considered
underwear.
Sandals
The
Japanese word used for the traditional Japanese sandals is zori and
are made of rice straw or other plant fibers, cloth, lacquered wood, leather,
rubber, or synthetic materials.
Weapons
The weapons
used traditionally in the practice of aikido is the wooden sword (bokken),
the short wooden stick (jo) and the wooden knife (tanto).
Jo is a short wooden stick
approximately 1.27 meters (4.2 feet) and 25 mm thick.
Bokken is a wooden replica of the
Japanese katana sword.
Tanto is a wooden replica of the
knife.