this maybe a odd question

[miss kitty]

hi all.
im hopefully going to order my gi and hakama soon and i have a few questions.
does anyone use a shitagi (under gi wear) if so is there any benefits for it.
where do you measure from for your hakama, i have heard from the hip but also from the belly button.

any help would be good.
thanks

[Kent Enfield]

hi all.
im hopefully going to order my gi and hakama soon and i have a few questions.
does anyone use a shitagi (under gi wear) if so is there any benefits for it.
where do you measure from for your hakama, i have heard from the hip but also from the belly button.

any help would be good.
thanks
Depending on the weather, I wear juban. (Shitagi refers to undergarments of all sorts.) During summer, it works a bit like a Hydrex lining. During winter, it makes separate layers, so that when a breeze blows across my sweaty body, I don't get that instant chill. Juban are also nice for seminars or the like. You can pack several juban in the same space one keikogi would take, so you can put on a dry inner-layer for each session without having to haul along a foot-locker full of keikogi. Also, when wearing one, your keikogi isn't in direct contact with your body, so takes longer to get smelly. This is nice if you're in a situation where you can't wash your keikogi after every practice.

For hakama, normally women wear them tied at the narrowest part of their waists. It seems that even if they don't tie it there initially, it ends up there anyway. This tends to be pretty high and above the belly button.

For sizing, the absolute easiest way is to try someone else's on and see how much longer or shorter you want your own.

[Lady_Kitsune]

Well, a sempai told me once that in kendo men shouldn't wear anything under the keikogi and women can use a bra or a more traditional underwear (a sort of bandage arround the chest). So if you can ask your sempais and sensei what do they think about the underwear then make a decision.

About the sizes, you need to know how tall are you and then buy a gi and a hakama that matches that or get close to that, or you will trip or look like a kendo nerd :laugh:

[Kenzan]

Going Commando is gross.


not to mention unsanitary.

[Lady_Kitsune]

I said keikogi, not hakama, that means no t shirts

[Kenzan]

I said keikogi, not hakama, that means no t shirts

Now you're talking.



:D

[Alison2805]

Girls tend to tie the hakama at the waist, not the hips. So going from your height will probably give you a hakama that is too short. Measure from where a belt confortably sits on you to your ankle bone, then find the hakama that fits that length.

I dont wear anything under my gi except a bra, but here its pretty hot. I wash my gi every two weeks generally.

[Miravil]

I wear sports bra and sport tights under my hakama and gi. Haven't been any trouble and I know I'm covered enough for any accidents. :)

[JCM]

Hi, if is Kendo you do the undergarments may not be needed if the Dojo you attend is warm enough, even on cold days I am usually overheating at the end of the class. Try without it and see how you get on. In regards to a sports bra I am afraid I cannot help.

Careful when measuring, check the manufacturers website, most of what I've seen is to measure from the hip to the ankle. And as Alison, I tie it to my waist too. Hope this helps :)

[miss kitty]

thank you for all you help, it is much appreciated.
:smiley:

[Spendius]

Just for info, I found back this old thread:

http://www.kendo-world.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6095

[Neil Gendzwill]

Most of the suppliers size hakama by your overall height. The ones I've dealt with (Koei, e-bogu, AOI) all seem to size about the same. For men, if between sizes I usually recommend going down one, as the charts fit a little long IMO. For most women if you are slim, you can stick to the chart, probably up to the next size if between sizes. If you are more curvy it's going to sit higher, maybe go up a size. Kent's advice to try some on if possible is very good.

[miss kitty]

thank you for all your help.
im the shortest woman/person in my dojo,(and possibly the world :laugh:) so i was wondering if i could go to a store and try one or two on, the only problem with that is im not sure if there is any in my area . hampshire u.k.??
im reasonably curvy (small waist ,big butt) so i am think i would wear it higher.
thanks again for everyones help

[Lady_Kitsune]

probably a 1,60 mts. uniform will do for you.

[Exia00]

Going Commando is gross.


not to mention unsanitary.
hahaha.

i lol'd.

[imnothere]

i am curious - as long as my hakama stay on (and kept me from practicing naked-kendo), would it be ok to varies the knots and ties a little bit if the hakama's himo don't choke/strangle me in strange places?

i confess that i am as slow as a dinosaur, so have forgotten about some of what my senior just taught me tonight in wearing hakama. :confused:

[Lady_Kitsune]

The idea is not strangling anything, so here I have this youtube link it might help you out with the knots It's not a formal class but it's quite alright it shows what it has to shows. It also shows how to put the iaito on, this one don't pay attention cos I don't really know if it's alright the how, but the keikogi and hakama are good and it will help you to remember how to do it right.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIAgdnm4Dfs&feature=related

[imnothere]

thankyou! now i don't have to show my spare shinai to my seniors! :laugh:

[misskitty]

hi all
ive just finally got the money for my gi and hakama.
im just a bit confused..
i have measured from where i wear my trousers it is 91cm.
the choices of measurments are 90cm or 94cm. which should i go for, i dont want to trip over it, neither do i want to be a kendo nerd.
if any one can help or advise me i would be very thankfull to you.
also my height is 163cm.


thanks

[imnothere]

http://www.onlinekendo.com/faq_view.php?id=27&title=Kendo_Uniform_(Gi_and_Hakama)_Size_Chart

the above link should give you some idea. it is ok to get something that is one size larger - as excess material can either be rolled up prior to tying or else trimmed by expert needle-lady/aka. Mother.

however you should really consult with your supplier/vendor in case of size variation.

[Kent Enfield]

i have measured from where i wear my trousers it is 91cm.
Is where you wear your trousers where you'll be wearing your hakama? As has been written in this thread before, women usually wear their hakama so that the top is at the narrowest part of their waist. Isn't that quite a bit higher than where you wear your trousers?

While not kendo, http://www.koryu.com/photos/kb01uchida.html is typical of where the women and girls I know who do kendo wear their hakama.


the choices of measurments are 90cm or 94cm. which should i go for, i dont want to trip over it, neither do i want to be a kendo nerd. ... also my height is 163cm.
If 91 cm is the length you want, I'd go with 90 cm. If you're planning on having your hakama come down to about ankle-bone height, a cm shorter than you want will be barely noticeable, while 3 cm longer will likely be a tripping hazard.

Is there really no one at your dojo who will let you try on theirs after practice to go from there? This is the sort of thing your sempai are there for.

[Kent Enfield]

it is ok to get something that is one size larger - as excess material can . . . be rolled up prior to tying
How on earth do you roll up hakama? And if you can, how do then avoid looking like a complete nincompoop?

[misskitty]

thank you that helps alot, i was wondering if it could be taken up/trimmed, it might be the better idea to order longer and just take it up.
thanks again

[misskitty]

[QUOTE=Kent Enfield;328203]Is where you wear your trousers where you'll be wearing your hakama? As has been written in this thread before, women usually wear their hakama so that the top is at the narrowest part of their waist. Isn't that quite a bit higher than where you wear your trousers?

umm yes it is higher, i think i will re-measure, thank you for pointing that out.

[neko]

How on earth do you roll up hakama? And if you can, how do then avoid looking like a complete nincompoop?

i believe they are referring to turning the waistband down one width, which in turn would shorten the overall length of the hakama.

when deciding on hakama length, just remember that any hakama can be shortened, but never lengthened.