Dedicated to the promotion of Kendo in the United States
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Dedicated to the promotion of Kendo in the United States |
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Folding the HakamaKnowing how to fold the Hakama properly is an important part of Kendo. A properly folded Hakama will have a neat appearance each time you put it on for training. A wrinkled Hakama is very unsightly on the floor. Here I have presented two different ways of folding the Hakama. The first is the generally accepted way with himo wrapped in the back of the Hakama. The second method was taught to me in 1984 by one of my Sensei in Japan with the himo wrapped in front and an extra little tip for keeping it neat during travel.
Click here for a photo slide show of how to fold the Hakama. Scroll down for the graphic version. |
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Holding the back of the hakama under your chin open the hakama and reach inside and push the center to the right. Next lay the hakama face down on the floor. |
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Interleave and straighten the pleats. Grasping the top and the bottom of the hakama flip the hakama over keeping the back pleats aligned. |
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Flatten and straighten the front pleats. |
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Fold the sides of the hakama in giving the hakama an even width. |
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Fold the hakama into thirds starting at the bottom and finishing with the top. Longer hakama may require an additional fold. |
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Use your hand to make a crease and fold the first third. |
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Fold the the second third. |
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Place the hakama with the back up. Take the long front himo and double them twice. |
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Repeat with the second himo and cross diagonally. |
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Take the short back himo and lay on top of the folded himo, bring under the point where the folded himo cross so it is pointing toward the top of the hakama. |
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Now bring the himo diagonlly downward over itself. |
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Wrap the himo under so it is now pointing diagonally upward. |
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Lay the himo on top of the folded himo so it is pointing downward in the same direction as it started from. |
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Wrap the second himo in the same way. If the himo are too long double the ends back under. |
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Second method. Wrap the himo in front of the hakama instead of back as shown. |
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Fold the hakama once more in half and tuck it under the himo. Now you have a little package that will stay neat and is easy to pack almost anywhere for your trip. |
This page by Curtis Marsten
Copyright © 2002 www.kendo-usa.org & Curtis Marsten
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