What are the Best Hakama Brands for Aikido?
The best hakama I’ve seen are individually tailored, or the official ones from Honbu dojo. One of my friends got one when his father went on a business trip to Japan. It was thick, strong, and the pleats were exceptionally well made. You could also ask around on the Supplies forum on AikiWeb (http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/forumdispl… ) Anyway, the use of hakama differs from dojo to dojo and from organization to organization. In some dojos, only black belts wear hakama, while in others only chief instructors or shihans wear them. There are also dojos that require women to wear hakama starting from 3rd kyu. But usually, when it comes to grappling, most aikidoka will go without hakama; its easy for you to get entangled, and it’s too easy for the hakama to get untied or torn.
