At the beginning of the 21st century, interest in the cultures of the East, including Japan, has greatly increased. Original art and dissimilar traditions attract the attention of European society and Russia. Traditions include completely different aspects of people's life. One of the most understandable and close, and at the same time historically informative, can be considered the features of ethnic clothing and shoes. Traditional Japanese shoes are quite diverse. Of particular interest to modern people is wooden shoes. It will be discussed.
Classification of traditional Japanese shoes
As in many traditional cultures, the type of clothing and footwear depends on geographic and climatic conditions. So, in Japan there are two areas of development of shoe craft:
1. Southern (south of China and southeast of Asia) - wooden and wicker shoes with one interdigital loop (between 1 and 2 toes).
2. North (north of China and North Korea) - reminiscent of shoes that completely cover the feet.
And the name of Japanese wooden shoes is of particular interest to both specialists and ordinary people.
Medieval ancestor
The very first historically established type of shoes that could be established are varaji and varazori - “slippers” resembling Russian bast shoes. The engravings of the medieval Japanese poet and artist W. Kuniyoshi helped to establish this fact. The images show that such shoes were worn by Japanese samurai.
Varadzori weaved from linen fibers, from rags, from the bark of trees, etc. They had poor wear resistance and were very cheap. As a rule, common people wore varazori and had a sufficient supply of pairs of shoes.
Varazori were made in standard sizes, so the owner's foot could hang both in front and behind the sole. The shape of the sole was oval. In a pair of sandals were not divided into right and left, did not have as such a heel, sides and toe. They were fixed on the leg using a traditional loop and ties.
But the varajis were made from straw. They were more durable, and therefore they were preferred not only by samurai, but also by monks with travelers. The bottom sole was strengthened in whole or in part by leather, bundles of straw and even a metal plate.
For those who moved a lot and actively, it was important that in addition to the toe loop, the varajis had additional side loops - tees and a heel loop with a bow - kaishi. Laces passed through the loops so that they fixed the foot on the sole like a side.
There are two types of varaji:
- etsuji - with four loops;
- Mutsuji - with five loops.
Kanji are also considered a kind of woven shoe - lattices made of woven fibers or straw, which were tied with laces to the sole of sandals so that their feet would not fall into the snow.
Geta Japanese Shoes
This type of wooden shoe is one of the basic and most popular models for Japanese women. Traditionally geta are Japanese street shoes. It was invented about two centuries ago. Its other name is "bench". This is due to the peculiarities of its shape: a flat horizontal bar is fixed on two small bars-columns, and attached to the leg with straps or ribbons, like the “flip flops” that are familiar to us. Geta are male and female.
For men's sandals, as a rule, expensive wood species and a form different from female models are used.
Women's sandals have several varieties:
- with a square toe;
- with a beveled down toe (nomeri).
These sandals didn’t hold well. The foot did not have a secure position on the platform. This is clearly seen in the wooden shoes shown in the photo. And, in addition, this type of shoe was quite heavy. In order to stay on their own and not to lose the shoe, Japanese women had to move slowly and with small frequent steps. Thus, the traditional soaring-mincing gait of Japanese women was formed in culture. The Japanese geta was complemented by narrow kimonos, which also fettered the step.
Traditionally, both male and female wooden Japanese shoes of this kind are worn on special white cotton socks, which separately have a thumb. Everyone wore tabi socks except the geisha.
There is another amazing detail for the get - a special waterproof cap-cap for the bow, made of waterproof material and attached with laces to the heel. It is usually used in case of inclement weather.
According to the purpose and features of the manufacture distinguish:
- nikkoi geta;
- ta-geta;
- yanagi-geta - household shoes from willow twigs for geishas;
- pokkuri-geta - luxurious, elegantly and expensively decorated shoes for aristocratic girls;
- kiri-geta - dark color with "teeth" and without heels geta for men;
- hieri geta - often leather-covered male geta with thin teeth;
- sukeroku-geta - have an oval sole with a bevel in the area of the toe and one tooth, are used in the Kabuki theater;
- tetsu-geta - geta from iron, fastened by a chain, for training ninjas and fighters;
- sukeeto-geta - peculiar "skates" for ice-skating, in which instead of bar-teeth there are attached blades or wire.
There are many names of wooden Japanese shoes. And they all sound unusual and intriguing to Europeans.
Nikkoi geta
This modification was created specifically for the mountainous regions where the Japanese monasteries are located and the snow lies. So that the legs would not slip, not freeze, and their position was stable, two types of shoes were combined: geta and dzori. The dzori's wicker sole was attached to a variant of the geta's wooden sole, forming a platform at the nose and a wide heel-like block under the heel. The laces are fastened in the area of the toe and on the sides in such a way that they do not thread through the entire thickness of the sole and are not attached to the sides, but are sewn between the sole of straw and a wooden platform. In such sandals it is cool in the heat and warm in the cold.
Ta geta
This type of wooden shoes of the Japanese existed 2 thousand years ago. Farmers working in waterlogged areas to harvest rice needed to protect their feet from moisture and injuries. Therefore, the easiest way was tying to the feet of the boards. They were wound to the leg, passing the cords into special holes. This type of shoe was not light and elegant, but with dirt adhering to it, it completely became unbearable. To control them, special ropes were used. And for work at sea they put on a variety of ta-geta - nori-geta, which had two tiers. Large stones were tied to the bottom so that a person could move along the bottom and not float. And after the Second World War, the Japanese wore o-asi - a kind of ta-geta.
Okobo
This kind of Japanese shoe is a kind of pokkuri geta. It is designed for students of geisha and represents high-soled shoes with a beveled corner at the toe. Their height fluctuated around 14 cm. However, the geisha of the highest rank wore very high okobos, such that it was almost impossible to move around without assistance. The advantage of this type of shoes was that in them it was possible, without getting your feet dirty, to move along a rather serious mud layer. But if you recall the peculiarities of the climatic conditions of Japan, then the numerous rivers, often overflowing, carry with them a lot of dirt, which they leave, leaving back to its channel.
Dzori
This kind of Japanese wooden shoe is pictured. He is very similar to geta. Previously, it was made only of wood, but now various materials are used to make dzori: from straw to synthetic plastics. The main feature that distinguishes dzori from geta is the presence of a large thickening of the platform at the heel and its almost complete absence in the toe area. Dzori is quite comfortable and practical shoes and is suitable for everyday wear. However, modern Japanese women, since we are talking about the female appearance of wooden Japanese shoes, prefer to wear soft shoes in everyday life, and to wear traditional sandals only on especially solemn occasions.
At its core, dzori are modernized varajis. Japanese warriors wore asinaka, a kind of dzori without heels. Toes and heel protrude beyond the sole.
Setta
You can find out the name of this Japanese wooden shoe by looking at the information about Dori. It turned out that these sandals of complex design - their kind. The difficulty lies in the fact that the sole has several layers:
- top - weaved from bamboo;
- lower - sheathed in leather;
- heel;
- bottom of the heel - a plate of metal.
Sengai
On medieval Japanese wooden engravings of the 18th century, one can find an image of another type of Japanese shoe. It does not apply to varieties of wooden shoes. These are woven silk shoes for noble ladies and girls from aristocratic families.
Tabi
Tabi were already mentioned above as socks worn under geta or sometimes under dzori. However, the Japanese consider tabi as a separate type of shoe, not wooden, but from cotton. Tabs have a special recess for the strap, which makes them very convenient to use.
A variation of tabi - dziko-tabi - is more like a shoe, since here a rubber sole is attached to the traditional tabi. These shoes allow you to walk without other shoes, even on wet soil. In addition, dziko-tabs do not allow sliding when working on slippery surfaces, as they have special notches on the sole to help provide better grip with the fingers.
Japanese house shoes
Changing shoes at the entrance to a Japanese house is a long and very persistent tradition of Japanese culture. To replace the use of national options for slippers. Once upon a time, the Japanese at home did not use shoes at all - they walked barefoot. Over time, they began to use white tabi socks as home shoes.
And later Surrippa appeared. Soft slippers, playing the role of slippers, are very beloved by the Japanese. She gives them a sense of peace and tranquility, coziness and comfort.
One of the varieties of Surippa is Toire Surippa, or in other words - "toilet slippers." They are put on instead of the surippa when entering the toilet or bathroom. They are made of plastic or rubber, and sometimes sheathed with a soft cloth on top.
There is another type of once popular Japanese shoes for the home - Shitsunaibaki. Most often they are used in the cold season, as they are made from very dense cotton or wool. Outwardly, they resemble socks. Similar socks were previously used for training in martial arts training.