Hakama Arrived

Hakama arrived. Think I tried it on?  Damn right I did.   :-)

Tried three different ways of tying it on.

1. Front first, knot in the back, front knot left to hang
2. Back first, twisting himo around belt, tidy front knot
3. Same as #2, but with a different front knot.
4. Back temporary tie-off, then front, then back -- simple knots, all exposed and in front

From what I've recently read in "In The Dojo", by Dave Lowry, #1 is the most traditional. Despite the knot in the back (which I wonder will get in the way during ukeme), I think it was my favorite, though tying that knot in the back will take some practice.

I've seen several "twists" (pun intended) on #2 and #3.  I've never seen #4 -- though it's interesting to note that this was the only video by an actual Japanese Aikidoka.

Some interesting Hakama facts and mythbusters -- also from the book:

• There are seven front pleats in total -- four on the left, three on the right.  There's lots of lore over the mysticism of this number.  Nobody knows.  But the fact that there's one more pleat on the left probably harkens back to the day when swords were worn -- primary weapons on the left.  The extra pleat on the left might be a little more durable, or the one-less pleat on the right might make it a little easier to stand up (right leg first, of course).
• The story about Hakamas being worn to hide the practitioner's footwork (oooh) is apparently complete bunk.  In fact, at different point in history when Hakamas were actually worn in battle, they almost always had draw-strings around the ankles -- to keep from tripping on them!   Hakamas are essentially just pants -- with lots of different versions dating back to riding chaps and formal kimonos.
• While we're on the subject of "bunk"...  The author of "In The Dojo" also says that the mystic stories about "black belts" being just white belts that got really dirty over time...  they're bullshit, apparently.  A famous Judoka somewhere in the 1950s was spreading Judo throughout Europe.  He had a very large class, with students from his school and from others.  He needed to tell them apart.  And so the black belt was born.  That's it.   Colored belts in other martial arts are, as most of us know, a westernization geared towards a more "goal oriented" approach to training.