The uniform that is used in the practice of the Aikido is composed of the “DOGI” and the “HAKAMA”.

The “DOGI” (pronounced: doogey) it is also known as as KEIKO-GI (pronounced: keikogey) and AIKIDO-GI (pronounced: eyekeydogey). This uniform, “GI”, is made of sturdy white cotton and it  is composed of a wide and comfortable jacket, a pair of pants  reinforced on the knees and a belt (white for all Kyu grades and black for Dan grades).

The beginners are allowed to wear also “JUDO-GI” or “KARATE-GI” which are easier to find and are less expensive.

However now good-quality “DO-GI” expressly designed  for our Martial Art (AIKIDO-GI) are easily available on sale, they  combine the elegance and the quality to the robustness and resistance to the tears. The white jacket is to be worn over the pants with the left part covering the right one, then the belt is tied so that it must go twice around the waist and be knotted right under the belly bottom. In Aikido practice the “GI” is always to be worn in a decorous way, and  attention is to be paid that it does not get loose or get open in the front: in this case it must immediately be refastened at  the end of the exercise. The men do not need to wear anything under the jacket, while for the women is good to have on a T-shirt, better if white. In the Iwama Dojo usually one uses to write his/her own name in “Katakana” on the left sleeve: this in order to be easily identified and called  by the Master. Use of knee pads under the pants  is allowed since it can help in the practice of “suwari-waza” and of “hanmi-handachi-waza”. When practicing on the “tatami” the student must  be barefooted, except for particular personal problems: in this case he/she is allowed to wear a pair of “TABI” (Japanese traditional stockings) or, in lack of these, white socks. If it is possible the practice  of the Aikido weapons it is to be carried on in the open, wearing comfortable shoes.

 

The “HAKAMA” is essentially a pair of skirt-like  pants formed of seven longitudinal folds, five on the front and two behind. In Aikido the hakama is worn over the “GI” and usually is of black or blue colour, even though several different colours are available. In the origin the hakama had a very specific function. It used to  be an additional garment which used to be worn over the dress in order to protect the legs of the Samurai that, when riding horses, could easily be scratched by bushes, weeds, tree branches and so on. Hakama used to be like  leather protections worn by cowboys. Considering that in Japan it was not easy to get  leather, the hakama  came to be made of very thick fabric. With passing of the time, not only for the Samurai on horses but also for those on foot, hakama became an important apparel, to wear as a token of easy identification, distinction and prestige. If we consider that the “GI”, the uniform used currently in the Japanese martial arts, like Aikido, Judo or Karate, generally was used as a piece of underwear it is easy to understand why, in the respect of the Japanese tradition, it was compulsory to wear the hakama since the first day of practice in any Dojo (On this subject there are several anecdotes reported by famous Masters that you will find below). After the Second World War and with passing of  time things changed and what once was a piece of underwear became, with some improvements, the standard uniform for the “practice of the way”,  the “DOGI”. In our school, Dentoo Iwama Ryu, for practical issues, we wear hakama only beginning from First Dan: it is easier for the student (who is still a Kyu) to move freely without it, but above all it is easier for the Master to control if the positions of the body, the feet, the legs and so on are correct according to the stability, the balance, but also to the power, the dynamicity  and the concentration. Moreover, in the outside practice of Buki-waza, hakama is not worn, this mainly in order not to soil it, since  later it will have to be worn on the tatami, inside of the Dojo. But anyone, at the discretion of their Master, can wear the hakama.

The seven folds of the hakama have the following symbolical meanings:

 

1. Yuki - courage, valor, bravery
2. Jin - humanity, charity, benevolence
3. Gi - justice, righteousness, integrity
4. Rei -  etiquette, courtesy, civility (obedience)
5. Makoto - sincerity, honesty, reality
6. Chugi – loyalty, fidelity, devotion
7. Meiyo - honor, dignity, prestige

 

See also How to fold the Hakama, how to wear the Hakama, how to tie the belt, Anecdotes.