Japanese martial arts have been around for thousands of years and are derived from the fighting techniques employed by the samurai warriors of feudal Japan. Over the years, marital arts in Japan have evolved into a number of fighting styles, including judo, kendo, aikido and karate. The clothing worn while practicing these martial arts has not only physical practicality, but also can signify the level of skill of the practitioner.
Judo
The martial art judo literally means "the way of softness" and focuses on technique and agility rather than strength and ferocity. The clothing worn while practicing judo is called the judogi. The judogi comes in either blue or white and consists of a cotton jacket and a pair of pants. The light and loose-fitting judogi allows the wearer easy movement while performing judo techniques that could otherwise be hindered by more restrictive clothing. The judogi also comes with a 10-foot piece of colored fabric that is used as a belt. The belt's color indicates the skill level of the wearer.
Kendo
Kendo is the Japanese form of fencing, and like the martial arts themselves, was derived from the samurai sword fighting techniques used before the Meiji Restoration. The clothing worn while practicing kendo is much different from other martial arts in that extra protection is needed to prevent injury while using the shinai, or bamboo practice swords. Kendo students wear a face mask, a chest protector, a thick black tunic with quilted flaps to protect the thighs, and a pair of thick fencing gloves. The length of the shinai represents the age level of the student.
Aikido
Similar to judo, aikido is much more of passive, technique-driven martial art and is focused entirely around defensive maneuvers. The clothing worn in aikido is very similar to the judo uniform, except very special attention is paid to the pants, called hakama. The traditional hakama is a very long, heavy skirt originally worn by horsemen to protect their legs from passing brush. Hakamas used today are shaped more like pants with the inclusion of legs, and are called joba hakamas. The hakama contains seven folds, five in the front and two in the back, representing the virtues of courage, humanity, justice, etiquette, sincerity, loyalty, and honor.
Karate
Karate, while not an original Japanese martial art, still is widely popular not only in Japan but all over the world. Karate is a combination of traditional Japanese fighting techniques and Chinese boxing, known here as kung fu, that started in what is now modern-day Okinawa. After the Sino-Japanese War in 1895, karate spread throughout Japan and eventually throughout the world. The clothing worn in karate is basically identical to that worn practicing judo. The uniform is called a gi and consists of a jacket, pants and a belt. As with judo, a karate gi is lightweight and has very short legs and arms to prevent the student from tripping over his uniform, and the belt worn by a karate student signifies skill level.
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