Have you ever wondered what footwear the Japanese wear? Have you heard of geta, zori, uwabaki, surippa, setta, okobo, waraji and others? In this article, we will explore 10 traditional sandals, shoes, slippers, and other footwear from Japan.
Traditional Japanese shoes are important in the history of Japan and the world. Many of the flip flops we use today had Japanese origins, so much so that in Maranhão the Havaianas are called Japanese. Ready for this adventure?
Table of Contents
Zori - The Japanese Havaianas
The zouri [草履] are flat Japanese sandals with straps that can be made of rice straw, leather, lacquered wood, fabric, rubber, or synthetic material. The zori are basically Japanese slippers with Y-shaped thongs similar to Havaianas.
Traditional zori are usually worn with a kimono along with a sock called a tabi. They are open to prevent foot sweating due to Japan's humid climate. Most of them are made of rice straw, but some are made of wood.
It is believed that these slippers were created with influences from China and Egypt, and their origins date back to the Heian Period (794-1192). Havaianas were shamelessly inspired by zori; we recommend reading our articles about zori and its resemblance to havaiana.
Geta - The traditional wooden shoes
Geta [下駄] is a traditional Japanese sandal, with a wooden base, similar to a clog, it serves to prevent the foot from coming into with the ground. They are worn with traditional Japanese clothing, such as kimono ou yukata, or during the summer.
The geta are the oldest footwear in Japan, widely used in swamps and rice paddies to avoid dirtying clothes and feet; the teeth are suitable for mountainous and rigid terrain. Geta makes a noise when you walk that the Japanese call karankoron.
Currently, the geta is mainly worn by article about geta, the Japanese wooden footwear.
Surippa - Japanese slip slippers
Surippa [スリッパ] comes from English slip It literally means to slip. It gets its name because of its ease of being worn by simply sliding your feet into it. It resembles shoes quite a bit but is open at the bottom and sometimes at the front.
They also do not have closures or knots to tighten, with different sizes and models for indoor and outdoor use. Due to their ease of wearing, they are widely placed inside houses in the genkan to be used by visitors.
The surippa were initially created in the Meiji era to be worn over shoes to facilitate the entry of foreigners who are not used to taking off their shoes to enter homes. Soon this idea transformed into a widely used footwear.
Uwabaki - Traditional slippers for indoor use
Uwabaki [上履き] are hallway or indoor slippers widely used in public places such as schools, gyms, offices, theaters and other public offices. They are also called upper shoes or Uwagutsu [上靴].
Unlike the surippa, it has some straps to attach to the feet, it is open only at the top resembling a bit like moccasins. They are usually seen more in schools, especially in primary where students even write their names on them.
They are usually made of rubber and cover the toes and heels. These shoes are not always tied together, some are just fitting, as schools encourage students to go barefoot in some situations.
Setta - Sandal with leather sole
Setta [雪駄] are Japanese sandals with a leather sole intended to provide a waterproof function, have an iron tail at the bottom, are durable, moisture resistant and damage resistant. The upper is woven with bamboo, leather or synthetic material.
Some claim it is a type of geta, but it resembles more like zori popular among men. The name setta literally means snow footwear. The technique jikazuge attaches the leather bottom directly to the upper part.
In the past, the footwear was called Sekida and was created for the tea master Sen no Rikyu to be used in the garden of his tea house on snowy days. The name was changed from sekida to “setta” when it migrated to the east of Japan.
Okobo - Japanese High Heeled Clog
Okobo [おこぼ] are thick wooden clogs, a type of high heel worn by apprentice geisha (maiko). Its name changes from region to region and may also be known as pokkuri, koppori, pokkuriko e bokkurigetaThis is because some have a hole in their sole with a bell to make noise.
Just like the geta, its practical purpose is to keep the kimono clean. This type of footwear was once a fashion reference, and the wood used to be lacquered to create designs and art. In some cases, it is worn together with the sock called tabi.
Children usually wear this type of footwear, especially during the festival shichigosan. It has a large base cut from a single piece of wood, usually made of paulownia. The height of an okobo can reach up to 15 centimeters.
Waraji – the poor man's slipper
Waraji [草鞋] is a traditional Japanese footwear used in the past by common people and was made using straw ropes. The toes traditionally protrude slightly out over the edge of the waraji.
The waraji are made with rice straw or hemp, cotton, and palm. Ropes made from the same material wrap around the ankles and secure the sole to the foot. Nowadays, waraji are still used in festivals and by Buddhist monks.
It should not be used on hard or paved ground, this will wear out and decrease its durability. This shoe was useful in the past when paved roads did not exist, walking on the ground allowed the soil to enter the crevices in the straw, thus reducing frictional wear.
Other Traditional Footwear from Japan
Kigutsu - Wooden Boots
Kigutsu [木靴] are wooden boots, all or the main part, like the bottom, is made of wood. Can be used to refer to other wooden shoes like asagutsu, geta and other wooden shoes of foreign origin.
Shigai - Silk Shoes
Shigai [絲鞋] are silk thread shoes worn by underage royal families, children's dance costumes, and young shrine maidens who participate in Shinto ceremonies.
Jika-tabi - Socks turning into shoes
Jika-tabi was invented and popularized during the 1900s. These shoes are basically tabi socks with a more durable sole, they are usually worn by Japanese people who work outdoors such as jinrikisha.
Different categories of traditional Japanese shoes
As promised, we show you 10 traditional shoes from Japan, but there are many others that were invented in Japan in the modern era or variations of the traditional geta and zori. Below I will try to add some more variations of these shoes:
We recommend reading our guide that talks about calçados em japonês, tamanhos e vocabulário. I hope you enjoyed our article, if you liked it don't forget to share and leave your comments.
- Taka-ashida geta – Wooden sandals made to be used in rain and bad weather;
- Hiyori geta / Masa geta – Traditional wooden sandals with two teeth worn during good weather;
- Ashida [足駄] - High clogs; rain clogs;
- Yamageta [山下駄] – Geta of the mountains, raw geta, usually made of Japanese cedar;
- Hachitsuwari [八ツ割] - Clog without teeth;
- Kōshi [厚歯] - Clogs with thick teeth in the anterior-posterior direction;
- Sandaru [サンダル] - Term of Western origin to refer to some Japanese sandals;
