The Ninja Suit...as it were

[Kunoichi29]

The September issue of Combat mag has the second in a series called Shinobi Soldiers by Anthony Cummings. This article concerns the "Ninja Suit".

It's interesting he notes the suit was just ordinary everyday clothing - the tabi are day to day footwear, the pants are just hakama closed tight on the lower leg, the jacket is a Japanese haori jacket, the tekko are standard for farm workers, with the mask being the only additional element used to hide the face.

I'll look forward to more of Mr Cumming's articles.


Naomi

[noname]

You mean they didn't run around in black pajamas?!?!?!?



Quick question for anyone who knows: were hakama an official status symbol during the Edo, or were they something everyone could wear?

[Dean Winchester]

I seem to recall that hakama has it's roots in being worn for the same reasons as wearing chaps when on horse back. Not 100% on that though I suppose it is possible for them to evolve into a form of status symbol.

Interesting question.

[noname]

Originally Posted by Dean Winchester

I seem to recall that hakama has it's roots in being worn for the same reasons as wearing chaps when on horse back. Not 100% on that though I suppose it is possible for them to evolve into a form of status symbol.

Interesting question.

That's how I mess with my Aikido teacher. Sometimes when I see him putting on his hakama I'll say "Hey Sensei, why are you putting on riding chaps?"

He usually smiles and then proceeds to make jokes about ninjas.

[Kogusoku]

Originally Posted by Dean Winchester

I seem to recall that hakama has it's roots in being worn for the same reasons as wearing chaps when on horse back. Not 100% on that though I suppose it is possible for them to evolve into a form of status symbol.

Interesting question.

Indeed, the original hakama were made of leather and served the same function as chaps on horseback.

[garth]

Noname posted

Quick question for anyone who knows: were hakama an official status symbol during the Edo, or were they something everyone could wear?

Not too sure about everyone being able to wear them, i just thought they were standard dress. But its likely that the higher classes had better material and more colour.

I know at one point under the Tokugawa that there was such a problem with dueling that a new fashion was devised where the hakama was ridiculously long (naka bakama), and any chance of having a stand up fight was out of the question.

Although lengths differed throughout history.

This is a good resource that may answer your question.

http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Hakama

garth

[Don Roley]

Originally Posted by garth

I know at one point under the Tokugawa that there was such a problem with dueling that a new fashion was devised where the hakama was ridiculously long (naka bakama), and any chance of having a stand up fight was out of the question.

Nope.

That was an enforce dress rule for visitors at the Tokugawa inner sanctum. It was not a street fashion. The long legs prevented people from running around, which made the Tokugawa's bodyguards job easier. That is its origins.

I wore them once for Kyogen. Dammed difficult to walk in unless you have good suriashi.

[Fish Of Doom]

for a ninja, every day is casual friday!



interesting comparison between hakama and riding gear, btw, i learned something new!

[Bronze Statue]

Which hakama, though?

True, most all aikido/jujutsu/iai/kendo/etc. people wear the bajou-bakama style of hakama, which had that purpose.

But were all forms of hakama of that particular nature? (e.g. nobakama/tsutsu-bakama, etc.) Were, say, these meant for use as chaps too?

[Ratty]

I get the impression that the riding chaps concept was the original idea which spawned an everyday fashion similar to jeans being farmwork material and gradually becoming casual wear in many different forms. Jeans still work as farmwear, but most common styles are not ideal nor intended for that purpose.


Something close to the discussion to consider is the idea that nearer to times of war the warrior classes tended to wear more subdued, earthy colors, and in times of long peace or for individuals not likely to be involved in combat brighter colors and ostentatious designs were more common.
Don't ask me for references. General idea gleaned from many sources, most of which I couldn't find again if I tried.

[Fusen]

Garth, is this the same author who used to be a student of yours, the one involved in shamanism?

[Labianca]

Good useful topic with decent outside links. Labianca-happy

[garth]

Fusen posted

Garth, is this the same author who used to be a student of yours, the one involved in shamanism?

Who

Do you mean Ross Heaven?

If so Ross was a student of mine back in approximately 1993 when he was also studying Bujinkan.

And what has this got to do with this debate

Garth

[garth]

Don Roley posted

Nope.

That was an enforce dress rule for visitors at the Tokugawa inner sanctum. It was not a street fashion. The long legs prevented people from running around, which made the Tokugawa's bodyguards job easier. That is its origins.

As it states in the link I provided which I posted prior to you writing the above, quote from that link...

Samurai visiting the shogun and other high-ranking daimyo at court were sometimes required to wear very long hakama called naga-bakama (long hakama). These resemble normal hakama in every way except their remarkable length in both the back and front, forming a train one or two feet long and impeding the ability to walk normally, thus helping to prevent a surprise attack or assassination attempt

Garth

[Fusen]

Ah wrong person, I couldnt remember the name, and thought it was the one the original OP refered too, my mistake.