If you’ve ever watched an aikido class you’ve most likely seen some of the senior martial artists wearing something that looks like a black or dark blue skirt.
No, this is not some sort of weird cross dressing habit. (This is not to say that senior aikidoka aren’t into cross dressing... they just prefer to wear full sequined ball gowns when doing so.)
The “skirt” is in fact called a “hakama”. Hakamas actually have a join in the middle forming two legs so they’re less a skirt and more a pair of pantaloons. I know... it's still not sounding that impressive yet...
How about this then: hakama were originated by samurai. In feudal Japan, many samurai would often wear silk kimono. However when conducting duties which involve riding a horse, the delicate silk would be either be eroded or soiled by the riding action in the saddle or by riding through tall grass and shrubbery. Hakama were constructed of hardier fabric - cotton or hemp - and worn over their finer clothes to protect them. Even as samurai made the transition from horse mounted to foot soldiers, they continued to wear hakama to identify themselves. (So you see, senior akidoka aren’t weirdos who wear skirts - they’re weirdos who wear chaps.)
In our style of aikido, you earn the right to wear the hakama when you successfully grade as a first level black belt. Even after a few years I still get a buzz from wearing it and feel honoured to be able to wear it.
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