How to Fold a Hakama
The hakama is one of the most important parts of Japanese martial arts attire. As a garment worn by the samurai, the hakama has a long tradition and is closely tied to etiquette. Martial arts stresses care in all aspects of life, and this is reflected by care for the uniform. The hakama has seven pleats, representing the seven virtues of bushido, the samurai code of conduct, and improper care can result in these pleats being lost. Folding the hakama properly keeps the garment neat-looking and maintains the pleats.
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Instructions
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1
Hold the hakama under your chin by the koshi-ita, the back supporting plate.
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2
Bring the top seams of the back and front pieces together, then lay the hakama on a flat surface, backside up. Move the four belt straps aside.
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3
Smooth the two back pleats by running your hand over the length of the hakama and lightly pressing. The pleats should be flat.
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4
Bring the legs of the hakama together, hold them in place and turn the garmet over with as little disruption to the pleats as possible.
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5
Smooth and flatten the five front pleats.
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6
Fold the outer edges of the hakama inward toward the center from the point where the straps attach to the main body.
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Fold the bottom of the hakama up one-third of the way. Repeat this fold twice. The final fold should be even with the top of the hakama.
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8
Turn it over so the four straps are fully visible, taking care to keep the pleats as flat as possible.
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9
Fold the two longer straps on themselves twice, making them a quarter of their original length.
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10
Cross these straps to the opposite corners of the hakama.
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Fold the shorter straps under the X formed by the longer straps, bring them up through the center and cross them again to the outside. Wrap them around twice.
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12
Bring the ends of the straps diagonally downward and pull them through the bottom loops on the X.
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