Dumb question

[Ken-Hawaii]

What do you call the plastic "spoon" that connects the koshiato of the hakama to the himo to hold the hakama in place?

I've asked a dozen people, & no one knows the right term!

[Brian Pettett]

I think it's hera?

[Karasu Maru]

Its official name is “hakamadome：袴止め” (a hakama stopper).
It can be called "hakama no hera：袴のヘラ"(a spatula of hakama) or "hera".

Regards,

[Ken-Hawaii]

Many thanks, Brian & Mai!

I was sure there would be a Web-site that shows the parts of the hakama (lord knows there are enough of them for every other part of martial arts), but if it's out there, it's darn well hidden! :rolleyes:

[Brian Owens]

What do you call the plastic "spoon" that connects the koshiato of the hakama to the himo to hold the hakama in place?
Others have got it already -- most commonly called a hera.

However it doesn't connect the koshiita to the himo, rather it is inserted into the obi to prevent the hakama from slipping down.

I just did a search myself, and I too couldn't find a Web site that showed the parts of a hakama.

Briefly, though, you just have the body of the hakama, which is usually divided in a martial arts hakama (kyudo is sometimes an exception) but may be undivided in a formal hakama (so the kimono lies better under it).

There are five pleats (hida) in the front and two in the back, and many teachers ascribe certain virtues to each pleat that the wearer can think about while folding them.

The stiff back piece -- which is sometimes replaced with a wide, soft band for Aikido -- is called a koshiita.

There are four long straps to tie on the hakama; two off each side of the koshiita in the back (ushirohimo), and two longer ones in the front (maehimo).

And the "spoon" or toggle is, as already mentioned, called the hera.

Some hakama have ties on the side openings, called matadachi.

The divided hakama (umanoribakama -- "horse riding trousers") and the undivided hakama (gyotobakama) look the same when worn.

Another style of divided hakama, the nobakama ("field trousers"), have shorter, tapered legs, and look something like old Spanish pantaloons.

Lastly, there is the nagabakama, a very long hakama that trailed behind the wearer by several feet. Worn at the Shogun's Court, it is said that they were designed to make movement, and thus surprise attacks against the Shogun, difficult. This last may be a myth, but it sounds reasonable.

HTH.

[Brian Owens]

Correction to the above: I forgot that, in Kendo and possibly other arts, obi are not always worn under the hakama.

In that case, yes, the hera would be inserted under the himo.

My mistake.

[Bailemor]

Hi Brian,

WOW a fantastic reply, I will definately pass this out to all the students in out dojo.

David

[Walker]

I think you could ask a Japanese supplier for hera. The last bunch I got were from Tozando in Kyoto. I've added them to hakama that don't have them and replaced ones that have broken. Having one helps to avoid the dreaded "koshi otoshi." :)

[Ken-Hawaii]

Many thanks for that great reply, Brian. I've passed it on to Maeda-Sensei for the rest of our dojo.

However, unless I really have been dressing myself incorrectly for several decades, I have a slight disagreement on how the hera is tucked. Mine definitely goes through/under/behind both my obi AND the maehimo. In fact, I can't see any way to not have it tucked through both (short of having someone helping to separate the obi & himo & then just tucking through the obi).

Anyway, all of this comes from my buying Linda & me very nice grey-striped silk hakama from a Japanese vendor, & then having them arrive without hera. I've requested that the vendor mail hera to me, but just in case, it's nice to know what to call them if I have to order them elsewhere (Doug, do you have any sources?). Silk may be a bit warm to practice in, especially here, but maybe we can Wow! Sensei just once.

Hope everyone is enjoying Christmas as much as we are today.

[Brian Owens]

...I have a slight disagreement on how the hera is tucked. Mine definitely goes through/under/behind both my obi AND the maehimo. In fact, I can't see any way to not have it tucked through both (short of having someone helping to separate the obi & himo & then just tucking through the obi).
I use the very wide, formal kakuobi. I understand some iaidoka use an "iaiobi" that is only slightly wider than a karate/judo obi, but is longer and has thin sections at each end for tying, in which case a different method may be required.

Using the wide obi, I just tuck the hera in between my kimono/uwagi and the obi, from the top, then flip it upwards and insert it between the innermost and next layer of the obi.

One of my older hakama has a shorter length of strap attaching the here to the hakama than my newer ones, and on it I can only tuck the hera down between layers of my obi, since there isn't enough length to go all the way down and back up. It still holds the koshiita tight against my back reasonably well.

In either case, the maehimo wraps over the obi, about 2cm below the top edge of the obi, so that the hera strap never touches the himo, only the obi and kimono/uwagi. Looking at me from the front, one would also see my obi peeking out over the top of my hakama by a centimeter or so.

I suspect that if one were wearing the narrower iaiobi, then the maehimo might have to be wrapped in such a way that they rested against the uwagi, and the obi would be positioned differently than how I do it, but since I've never really paid that close of attention to anyone who used them I don't know for sure. At my Seiki Ryu dojo we all had kakuobi, and when I practiced with the Musokai I just didn't pay that much attention since I wasn't at the "beginner having to learn how to dress" stage.

You have me curious now, so I'm going to have to watch people dressing more closely.

I hope they don't get the wrong idea!

[Ken-Hawaii]

I also use the wide kakuobi, Brian. It's about 3-1/2 inches wide, so I assume we're talking about, & wearing, the same thing. But I also think we wear the hakama a bit differently.

Starting off with the finished "product," my obi is probably 2-3 inches below the front top of my hakama, & usually only appears after Sensei has us do the closing dozen mae. As far as whether the hera is under the maehimo, we may have a case of semantics. If my himo are tied over the top of my obi, & I then slip the hera under the obi, I perceive that the hera is under both the himo & the obi. But in actuality, my maehimo are tied slightly above the obi (almost touching), & I slip the hera down first between the himo & then the obi. I had my shodan wife watch me at the dojo yesterday, & she confirms that's the way I dress.

Linda, on the other hand, wears her maehimo much higher in the back than I do (probably because she has a much better-defined waist than I do!), so her hera goes solely under the obi. Oh, & she also uses the narrower iai-obi, about 1-3/4 inches wide.

I guess I'm going to have to check out how our other iaidoka dress, too, Brian. I've been wearing gi, hakama, & obi for so many years that I just never paid any more attention than you did.

[Brian Owens]

I also use the wide kakuobi, Brian. It's about 3-1/2 inches wide, so I assume we're talking about, & wearing, the same thing. But I also think we wear the hakama a bit differently.

Starting off with the finished "product," my obi is probably 2-3 inches below the front top of my hakama...
Yes, we do appear to wear them quite differently.

I wear mine something like this, although my obi doesn't protrude by quite this much.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Interesting, Brian. I tie my ushirohimo almost exactly the same way & in about the same vertical location, but my hakama is well above the knot.

Well, I guess if some people can roll up the sleeves on their shirts, there is some leeway in how we wear our gi, obi, & hakama. :p I've been through exams with hachidan senseis judging my appearance along with my performance, &, at least so far, none have told me that I wear my uniform wrong.... This now makes me wonder if there is a "manual of style" for iaido (& other MA) wearing of these items.

Now I'm curious on how you wear your iaito (& wakizashi, if appropriate), Brian, which also gets us back a bit closer to the original thread.

[Ken-Hawaii]

Oops. Scratch that very last comment. I was thinking we were on the "What's in your Obi?" thread.

[Brian Owens]

...Well, I guess if some people can roll up the sleeves on their shirts, there is some leeway in how we wear our gi, obi, & hakama. :p I've been through exams with hachidan senseis judging my appearance along with my performance, &, at least so far, none have told me that I wear my uniform wrong.... This now makes me wonder if there is a "manual of style" for iaido (& other MA) wearing of these items.
(Hmmm. A Manual of Style. Maybe I could write one. ;) )

Yes, there are many ways of wearing the clothing; each can be correct, although they are different.

In fact -- among the various ryu -- how to wear the outfit, how to tie knots, etc. may be part of the ryu's teachings. As with so much else, "Ask your sensei" applies with "fashion" too.