Hakama (袴) refers to the divided skirt or wide trousers that the samurai wore during the feudal period in Japan. Hakama is an outer garment worn over a kimono or dogi.
Today, hakama is primarily used by practitioners of budo, such as in aikido, kendo, iaido, jodo, kyudo, and naginatado.
The hakama was used by the samurai, and was created as trousers suitable for horse riding. They had the same function as the leather chaps later invented by American cowboys, that is, as a sturdy protective garment over trousers when working on horseback. Since leather was rare on the Japanese islands, coarse fabric was used instead. It was only later that hakama became a garment for formal occasions, and the material was then changed to expensive silk. Such a silk hakama has roughly the same status as formal wear (tails) in European culture.
Hakama can have different colors or patterns, although black, indigo, and white are the colors most often seen in budo.
Hakama Folds
There are a number of meaningful folds on the hakama. There are several different opinions on how many folds there are and what virtues they symbolize. What is certain is that there are five folds at the front, and possibly one or two at the back. A common belief is that the folds symbolize:
Jin (仁): compassion
Gi (義): honor
Rei (礼): dignity, etiquette, respect
Chi (智): wisdom
Shin (真): honesty
Chū (忠): loyalty
Kō (孝): piety, reverence for parents
However, there is no support for the belief that this interpretation is particularly old. The fact that there are five folds on the front is said to be significant for the asymmetry in Japanese aesthetics. A more practical reason could be that the extra fold makes the garment slightly heavier over the right leg, the leg that, for example in fencing, is thrust forward and upward during attack. This would reduce the risk of tripping over one's own hakama.