What are those funny clothes kendo and iaido players wear?
The top is called a keiko-gi, uwagi, kendo-gi or just gi. Technically uwagi is the correct term, but the others are all commonly (mis)used. It is a heavy, quilted cotton shirt with three-quarter length sleeves. The kendo-gi is very similar to the top of the judo uniform, but longer. Iaidoka usually wear a gi about the same weight as a karate uniform. Kenjutsuka and iaijutsuka may use kendo or iaido style uwagi or perhaps a kimono: there is no standard. The bottom is called a hakama. It is a pleated, divided skirt (the modern term might be culottes, but that’s not strictly accurate) generally made of cotton or cotton-poly blend. The hakama are the same as aikidoka wear, except that kendo/iaido attaches no particular grade to the hakama. In my club, we let beginners wear them as soon as the footwork is solid enough that we don’t have to correct it constantly (the hakama hides the feet). Traditionally in kendo, the hakama is black or indigo blue for men and white for women. The gi is blue
