Nothing lasts forever, but Bu Jin® Classic Cotton Hakama come close. We start with quality raw materials, then stitch and double-stitch every step of the way.

This 10 oz. 100% cotton duck is tightly woven and exceedingly durable, with the individual color variation associated with an all-natural fabric.

Because Bu Jin® Classic Cotton Hakama are made in-house and to your specifications, we carefully and expertly construct your hakama with the features you choose, including your choice of:

• 100% Cotton in black or navy
• Traditional style or our innovative Aiki style Koshiita
• Regular or Extended Front Panel
• Four different sizes and a Customized length to ensure the perfect fit
• Optional extras such as Stitched Pleats, Matadachi Ties, Hera and a Jewelry Pocket

Bu Jin® Classic Cotton Hakama are intended for any art in which a hakama is worn. Practitioners of aikido, kendo, kyudo and jujitsu will appreciate Bu Jin's quality and service. Note: If your art requires longer or shorter matadachi (side vents), please let us know. Small custom fee applies.

Please read the instructions on how to measure for length very carefully before you order by clicking on the options tab above.

Please be aware that because of the special care we take with each hakama, your order may take two to three weeks to complete.

To help us make the hakama best suited to your needs, carefully follow these steps and fill out the order form completely.

Select a fabric

• 8 oz. Twill Blend
  65/35 polyester/cotton. A durable, easy-care fabric, virtually color-fast, holds pleats, with minimal shrinkage.
• 10 oz. Cotton Duck
  100% cotton. A heavy, all-natural fiber, tightly woven, extremely durable. Shrinkage depends on cleaning method (see below).

Choose a color
All our fabrics come in Black or Dark Navy.

Select from two koshiita styles
The Traditional Style Koshiita is used in iaido, kendo aikido, kyudo, and jujitsu. It has a firm yet flexible backing, and may be machine washed and dried. It should be removed for dry-cleaning.

The Aiki Style is our innovative koshiita, a softer style suited to aikido ukemi. The firm multi-stitched layers of fabric contour around your waist.

Choose the Regular or Extended Front Panel
If your obi slopes toward the front, as in the illustration below, you should order the Regular Front Panel. If the front of your obi remains parallel to the floor, you may need the Extended Front Panel.

Measure for length
Method 1
Tie on your obi, and in a comfortable stance, hold a tape measure just above the knot of your obi (if you plan to tuck your hakama in over the obi, then tuck the tape measure in, as you would the hakama, about 1 to 2 inches); then with your free hand pull the tape measure in to your body, so that the tape measure goes over the knot and is pulled in underneath, as if by the ties of the hakama. Let the tape measure fall to your feet and have an assistant help you determine where you want the hem of the hakama to be. This will be the length you should order (please round to the nearest inch or centimeter).

Method 2
Over an obi, try on a hakama (your current one or a friend's). Using a mirror, decide how many inches longer or shorter you want your new hakama. Remove the hakama, place it face up and straighten the pleats. With a tape measure, in the center front, measure from the top of the waistband to the bottom of the hem; then add or subtract the appropriate inches. (Important: if the hakama is one with an Extended Front Panel, be sure to specify this when ordering. We will make appropriate adjustments)

Please note that hakama under 39" in length are non-returnable. Please measure carefully!
When in doubt, it is advisable to go a little longer, since the hakama can easily be shortened one inch by folding the hem up one turn.

For Cotton Hakama
When ordering 10 oz. Cotton , please tell us how you plan to clean it so we can add the correct amount for shrinkage. Please specify if you plan to 1) machine wash and dry, 2) cold-soak in a tub/air dry, or 3) dry-clean.

Select Special Options

• Stitched Front Panel Pleats
• Jewelry Pocket
• Matadachi (side vent ties) for Iaido
• Hera (koshiita peg) for Iaido

Please note, customizing your hakama with these special options makes your hakama unique to you and as such we cannot accept them back for return or refund.

Caring for your hakama
For longest life, we recommend either hand washing and air drying or dry cleaning.

• Twill Hakama may be machine washed/dried; hand washed/air dried; or drycleaned with minimal shrinkage and fading.
• Cotton Hakama may be hand washed/air dried or dry cleaned with minimal shrinkage and fading. Cotton Hakama that are machine washed/dried will have a stonewashed look and will shrink in length. If you choose to machine wash/dry these hakama, be sure to specify when ordering, and we will adjust the correct amount for shrinkage.

Tying and Folding your Hakama
Please go to Tying on a Hakama and Folding a Hakama for clear, step-by-step illustrations of typical tying and folding methods. We'd like to thank Dante Lividini, aikidoist and artist, for preparing these drawings for us. You are welcome to print a copy from the pdf file for posting in your dojo. We ask that you please respect the copyright.

Himo.
Our double-stitched, triple-layered himo are amply long. On a medium size hakama, the back himo are 89" x 1 1/2" and the front are 180" x 1 1/2". Other sizes adjusted accordingly.

To take waist and hip measurements, keep the tape measure straight, not tight. Measure your waist around the narrowest point of your natural waistline and your hips at their fullest point.

If you are still uncertain of your size, include your height and weight, and we will be happy to assist you.

• How do I tie on my hakama and how should I fold my hakama when I've finished training? (pdf files - adobe acrobat reader required)

When can I wear a hakama?
It depends upon the rules or conventions of your organization or dojo, or of one you may be visiting, so you should find out what those are. Many types of arrangements exist today. Some associations reward attainment of a certain rank with the privilege of wearing a hakama, while others view the hakama as an integral part of the training uniform from day one. In some dojo, hakama-wearing is a function of gender and/or rank, and in yet others, it is left to personal choice and may symbolize an individual's personal commitment to a path of study.

Why do I see some people wearing black hakama and others wearing dark blue? Is there anything I should know about the different colors? What about white hakama?
You can never go wrong with basic black, so if you are planning to travel and visit unfamiliar dojo, you will do well to outfit yourself with a black hakama. Otherwise, the custom and convention in your dojo is what you should pay attention to. Often, the color choice has no significance whatsoever and is simply a matter of personal preference. However, in some cases, color may be used to subtly distinguish newer students from "seasoned" ones, with the newer students wearing black and the more experienced ones wearing either blue or black, their choice. White hakama are sometimes used in various arts or for certain occasions.

What should I look for in a hakama?
Your hakama is in for a lot of wear and tear, especially if you train hard and often. Overall, you should look at several key areas.

• The fabric. Flimsy fabric has a short, sad life and, incidentally, makes for maddeningly wimpy himo. Go for sturdy, tightly woven fabric you can depend on to last, and check shrinkage and care instructions.
• The construction. The way the hakama is put together is just as important as the fabric. Look for strong thread, tight stitches, and straight reinforced seams that will hold the hakama together against the rigors of training (like when someone steps on your hem just as you are launching into a high fall!).
• The koshiita. If your hakama has a traditional style koshiita, you won't want a backing of cardboard or brittle plastic; look instead for rubber or vinyl, which are more durable and flexible.
• The himo. Be sure both the front and back himo are sufficiently long to wrap securely around your waist and hips. And if you are an aikido student, be sure you don't need to tie a knot in the back, where you might roll on it.
• The fit. Look for comfort and fit, too, because these are safety factors. Your hakama should not bind in any way and should hang loose and straight over your hips. Bu Jin® offers a wide range of sizes, including a women's version, that will accommodate the "average" figure as well as the "not so average" figure.

How long should my hakama be?
You can wear your hakama at whatever length you find most safe and comfortable. Today in martial arts, the trend is for the hakama to fall somewhere around the ankle, but it really depends on the custom of your art or dojo. Kendo, jujutsu, and kenjutsu practitioners tend to prefer somewhat shorter hakama, whereas some aikido practitioners choose a longer length. Around thirty or forty years ago, aikido students at Honbu Dojo in Tokyo wore quite short dogi pants and hakama, which ended well above the ankle. Trends or fashion changed and longer hakama became popular.

In deciding how long you want your hakama to be, the best advice is to look around your dojo, check to see if your instructor has any particular requirements, and then decide what you will feel most comfortable with. There will definitely be a learning curve with your first hakama, and you can expect to get tangled up in it at one time or another. We've found that folks generally start out with their first hakama a little on the short side, in order not to trip up so often, and then add an inch or two the next time they reorder several years later.

A Bu Jin® Design Hakama is made to order, so you can specify the exact length you want, and we will hem it for you.

What is the best way to determine the length of hakama I need?
We suggest that if at all possible, before you buy your first hakama, borrow a friend's to try on and move around in. It is best if you borrow someone's whose hip bones are about the same height from the floor as yours. Tie on your obi, and then put on the hakama and do some warm-ups and stretches, take a back-fall on the carpet and so on. You might repeat this process a time or two, with your obi tied at different places around your hips/waist. Determine the resting-place for your obi and hakama, and then from there, you can go on to the next step of determining the length.

Why go to all this trouble? We have found that obi placement and tying-on methods can make a significant difference in the final length of an hakama; what may seem to be the right length in theory can turn out to be three inches too short in actuality.

So, using the hakama you are trying on, decide if you like that length, or if you should shorten or lengthen it by X number of inches (or centimeters). For this you will need either a friend or a mirror, and preferably both. You should then remove the hakama, measure it, and then add or subtract the X number of inches you have decided upon.

At this point, you must know whether to measure the front or the back of the hakama. Since there is no standard sizing among hakama manufacturers, you will have to know the system your manufacturer uses.

At Bu Jin® Design, we measure in the front, including the waistband.

Where should I wear my hakama - at my waist, or lower around my hips? I see people doing different things.
The hakama typically sits low on the hips, the original reason being that samurai affixed their swords to their obi and hakama. The sword, or katana, had to be in a quick-and-easy draw position, which meant at hip level. (Try it, and you'll find that it is considerably harder and slower to draw a katana that is situated at waist level.) Not only that, but hara and hip movement are integral to the use and control of a sword, a fact of which iaido practitioners are acutely aware.

Even in arts that do not use the sword, the hara or center is fundamental to training. Whether you are a man or a woman, you may find that the lower positioning of the hakama serves as a physical reminder of the location of your center. Find the place that feels most comfortable to you by giving it some test runs. The hakama will "settle" into a place that works best for you.

How should I care for my hakama? Should I wash it? How often?
The "how often" part should be a function of your training habits, the season, and the surface you train on. We have found that there's a wide range in cleaning intervals...from once a month to once or twice a year. It's really a matter of common sense and acceptable hygiene. Whereas the dogi should be laundered after each use, the hakama usually doesn't require such frequent cleaning.

You can wash, dry-clean or "freshen" (hang in the sun between washings or cleanings) your hakama. Whether you wash or dry-clean depends on the hakama fabric, shrinkage considerations, and your personal preference. When purchasing a hakama, it's a good idea to ask about fabric care instructions and to decide which cleaning method you will use, since these factors often have an impact on shrinkage.

I have not seen Aiki-style Koshiita, Extended Front Panel, or Women's Hakama anywhere else except at Bu Jin® Design. What are they all about?
They are refinements and innovations that improve comfort, fit, and appearance. In 1988, we introduced the Aiki-style Koshiita, a sensible modification of the traditional angular koshiita, which may sometimes cause discomfort or injury during aikido ukemi. The Aiki-Koshiita eliminates the problematic angles and rigid backing of the traditional koshiita and has become the style of choice for many aikido practitioners.

The Extended Front Panel was developed to address the needs of individuals who are experiencing a "hiking up" of the front hem and a "bowing out" of the side vents - essentially, a poorly fitting hakama. We discovered that this is caused in part by the position of one's obi, which in turn is determined by body shape.

The Women's Hakama (and the Women's Dogi, as well) is one of those "Why did it take so long?" things - like women's jeans. With more women than ever now training in the martial arts, we felt it was high time that women have more options for a proper fit. We found we could inconspicuously tweak the measurements of the traditional hakama to successfully address concerns such as ill-fitting pleats, buckling side vents, koshiita that are too wide, and uneven hems. We did the same thing with the dogi, and we are pleased to be the first to offer women a real choice in their training garments.