Жапондық дәстүрлі шалбар-юбка (Hakama)

Type of traditional Japanese trousers/skirt

([[wiktionary:袴) are a type of traditional Japanese clothing. Originally stemming from [[Ku (trousers) , the trousers worn by members of the Chinese imperial court in the Sui and Tang dynasties, this style was adopted by the Japanese in the form of hakama in the 6th century. Hakama are tied at the waist and fall approximately to the ankles. They are worn over a kimono specially adapted for wearing hakama, known as a hakamashita. There are two types of hakama: divided and undivided The umanori type have divided legs, similar to trousers. Both of these types appear similar. A "mountain" or "field" type of umanori hakama was traditionally worn by field or forest workers. They are looser in the waist and narrower in the leg. Hakama are secured by four straps (himo): two longer himo attached on either side of the front of the garment, and two shorter himo attached on either side of the rear. The rear of the garment may have a rigid trapezoidal section, called a (腰板). Below that on the inside, there may be a (袴止め) (a spoon shaped component sometimes referred to as a hera) which is tucked into the [[Obi (sash) or himo at the rear, and helps to keep the hakama in place. Hakama, especially those for martial arts, may have seven deep pleats, two on the back and five on the front. Although they appear balanced, the arrangement of the front pleats (two to the right, three to the left) is asymmetrical, and as such is an example of asymmetry in Japanese aesthetics. Historically, a boy would start wearing his first pair of hakama from the age of five, as commemorated in [[Shichi Go San#History; a similar practice to this, called "breeching", was seen in Europe up until the Victorian age, where boys would from then on start to wear breeches instead of dresses, as a recognition of coming of age.

While hakama used to be a required part of menswear, nowadays typical Japanese men usually wear hakama only on extremely formal occasions and at tea ceremonies, weddings, and funerals. Hakama are also regularly worn by practitioners of a variety of martial arts, such as kendo, iaido, taidō, aikido, jōdō, ryū te, and kyūdō. Sumo wrestlers, who do not wear hakama in the context of their sport, are, however, required to wear traditional Japanese dress whenever they appear in public. As hakama are one of the most important parts of traditional male formal dress, sumo wrestlers are often seen wearing hakama when attending appropriately formal functions. In addition to martial artists, hakama are also part of the everyday wear of Shinto kannushi, priests who maintain and perform services at shrines. Hakama are worn with any type of kimono except yukata (light cotton summer kimono generally worn for relaxing, for sleeping or at festivals or summer outings). While glossy black and white striped sendaihira hakama are usually worn with formal kimono, stripes in colours other than black, grey and white are worn with less formal wear. Solid and graduated (ombré) colours are also common. For casual wear, men sometimes wear haori nagashi (kimono with just a haori and no hakama) or kinagashi (kimono alone, as for yukata).

Hakama traditionally formed part of a complete outfit called a (上下/裃). Worn by samurai and courtiers during the Edo period, the outfit included a formal kimono, hakama, and a sleeveless jacket with exaggerated shoulders called a kataginu. Samurai visiting the shōgun and other high ranking daimyō at court were sometimes required to wear very long hakama called naga bakama 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. Naga bakama are now only worn particularly in Noh plays (including kyōgen), kabuki plays, and Shinto rituals.

Women's hakama differ from men's in a variety of ways, most notably fabric design and method of tying. While men's hakama can be worn on both formal and informal occasions, women rarely wear hakama, except at graduation ceremonies and for traditional Japanese sports such as kyūdō, some branches of aikido and kendo. Women do not wear hakama at tea ceremony. The image of women in kimono and hakama are culturally associated with school teachers. Just as university professors in Western countries don their academic caps and gowns when their students graduate, many female school teachers in Japan attend annual graduation ceremonies in traditional kimono with hakama. Hakama are worn by miko or shrine maidens who assist in maintenance and ceremonies. A miko's uniform consists of a plain white kimono with a bright red hakama, sometimes a red naga bakama during formal ceremonies. This look stems from the attire worn by high ranked aristocratic woman in the Heian era, as well as court performers such as shirabyōshi. While formal men's hakama are made of striped fabric, women's formal hakama are either a solid colour or dyed with graduating hues. Hakama for young women are sometimes sparsely decorated with embroidered flowers such as cherry blossoms. Women typically wear hakama just below the bust line, while men wear them at the waist.

Hakama have traditionally been worn as school wear. Before the advent of school uniforms in Japan, students wore everyday clothes, which included hakama for men. In the Meiji period (1868–1912) and Taishō period (1912–1926), Western style wear was adopted for school uniforms, initially for both male and female uniforms. However, at the time, Western women's dress was fairly cumbersome. Utako Shimoda (1854–1936), a women's activist, educator and dress reformer, found traditional kimono to be too restrictive, preventing women and girls from moving and taking part in physical activities, harming their health. While Western dress was being adopted at the time, she also believed corsets to be restrictive and harmful to women's health. She adapted the clothing worn by ladies in waiting at the Japanese imperial court to make a uniform for her Jissen Women's School. During the Meiji period and Taishō period, other women's schools also adopted the hakama. It became standard wear for high schools in Japan, and is still worn for graduation ceremonies. The image of women in hakama is also culturally associated with school teachers. Just as university professors in Western countries don their academic caps and gowns when their students graduate, many female school teachers in Japan attend annual graduation ceremonies in traditional kimono with hakama.

There are many ways for men to tie hakama. First, the obi is tied in a special knot (an "under hakama knot") at the rear. Starting with the front, the ties are brought around the waist and crossed over the top of the knot of the obi. The ties are brought to the front and crossed below the waist, then tied at the back, under the knot of the obi. The hakama dome is then tucked behind the obi, the koshi ita is adjusted, and the rear ties brought to the front and tied in a variety of ways. The most formal method results in a knot that resembles two bow ties in a cross shape. The method of tying the ties is also different, with women's hakama being tied in a simpler knot or a bow. As with men's hakama, the front ties are first brought to the back, then to the front, then tied at the back in a knot. Then the back himo are brought around to the front. At this point, they may be tied with a bow at the left hip, just in front of the opening, with the ends of the ties at equal lengths. For more secure fastening, the ties may be wrapped once at center front, then tied inside at the back.

Like all types of traditional Japanese clothing, it is important to fold and store hakama correctly to prevent damage and prolong the life of the garment, especially those made of silk. With hakama this is particularly important, since hakama have so many pleats which can easily lose their creases; re creasing the pleats may require specialist attention in extreme cases. Hakama are often considered particularly challenging to learn to fold properly, in part because of their pleats and in part because their long ties must be correctly smoothed and gathered before being tied in specific patterns. Various martial arts traditions in which practitioners wear them have prescribed methods of folding the hakama. This is often considered an important part of etiquette. In some martial arts it is also an old tradition that the highest ranking student has the responsibility to fold the teacher's hakama as a token of respect.