Waraji

Waraji (Japanese: 草鞋) are sandals made from straw rope that in the past were the standard footwear of the common people in Japan. Now they are mostly worn by traditional Buddhist monks.

Traditionally the Japanese wear the Waraji with their toes sticking out as they do not care for them to stick out over the edge. People on other countries might disagree on this. There are no set rules or guidelines on wearing Waraji so it really depends what the wearer finds comfortable.

Structure

These are made of various materials, such as hemp, stalks of myouga (a kind of ginger, Zingiber mioga), palm fibres, cotton thread, rice straw, and others. The materials chosen must be very durable. There are also various ways of arranging the cords which tie the waraji to the feet, such as nakachi-nuki, yotsu-chigake, and takano-gake. It is very important to use a nakagukuri or extra tie across the instep, as this helps in marching on steep, snowy, or muddy roads, and in crossing swamps or rivers. It is better to have 6 tabs on your sandals than 5, for then you will not catch pebbles between your sandals and your feet when crossing rivers or marching on rough roads. An extra pair of sandals must be carried at your waist; this is quite as important a thing as carrying provisions.

Tying

The ways of tying the Waraji depends on the use or purpose of the Waraji. For instance a monk ties the Waraji differently than a farmer. And a soldier ties it differently than townsmen, and so on.

See also

*Zori
*Geta
*Tabi