05/19/2025
About the Hakama
This time, I would like to write about the Hakama worn by Aikido holders..
Before that, do you know why the training clothes are white and the hakama are dark blue or black?.
It originally means that "white" represents purity.. Even Christians wear white at weddings.. Is it universally applicable?.
The white color of the training clothes means not only purity, but also heaven, that is, the universe.. People who are crooked may say that the universe is pitch black and black, but it was before the Meiji Restoration that people who practiced martial arts wore training clothes.. There was no Hubble telescope back then.. By the way, for space exploration, I created this for the space shuttle launched by the United States in 1990..
By the way, the hakama is navy blue or black, which represents the earth..
Now you know. A person with a black belt wears “heaven and earth” and becomes one with the heaven and earth..
Founder Morihei Ueshiba said, "If I dance alone, I will dance in heaven and earth.". The Founder also said, "I am God.". god means heaven. Therefore, the Founder was sometimes forced to wear a white top and bottom for training..
As someone who specialized in the uke of the Founder in his later years, this is a nostalgic memory..
By the way, regarding the hakama, do you know that there are three folds on the right and two folds on the left when viewed from the front?.
This comes from Confucianism, as advocated by Confucius in ancient China. Confucius established the five virtues of ``benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, wisdom and faith'' as the things that people must protect in order to live.. In particular, I brought "Jin" to my head as the most important thing. Jin means "compassionate". This is something that animals other than humans don't have, and it is absolutely essential for humans.. Looking at the world today, especially those born after the war do not have this kind of omoiyari.. So if you want money, apply for a dark part-time job, tie up a high-ranking old man, beat him, kick him and kill him.. If you get dumped by your lover, follow him persistently and stab him to death. where is jin.
"Jin" means two people. You probably know that people on a pilgrimage to sacred places often have "Two Accompanied" written on their hats.. This means that one person is you and the other is what Buddhism calls “Bodhisattvas and Tathagatas” always accompany you.. In other words, it means to treat people with the spirit of Buddha..
The next "righteousness" is "the right way to follow as a person". In a nutshell, it's "justice".. You know the word “rei”, right?.
The right three folds of the hakama, that is, “Benevolence and Religion,” are the attitude toward others.. The two "Wisdom" on the left are for myself.
By the way, there are two creases in the back. This represents loyalty and filial piety.. neither of these are now. I miss you so much.
