All About Japan

The Ultimate Samurai Pants

Fashion Kyoto

Kimono and traditional clothing maker Wazigen Shizukuya has already unveiled parts of its 10th anniversary collection, that includes samurai hoodies. Now the company is taking things in a new direction with their leather samurai attire.

http://www.shizukuya.com/products/10th_anniversary/opus10.html

The Kyoto-based designers cap off their collection with two very unique pairs of hakama, or the pants worn with kimono.

http://www.shizukuya.com/products/10th_anniversary/opus10.html

Billowy and multi-folded, hakama are generally made from fabric. But for its Opus.10 series, Wazigen Shizukuya has instead made them from genuine leather.

Given the extensive amount of stitching required to make hakama, producing these unique examples using leather was no doubt a time-intensive affair for Wazigen Shizukuya’s craftsmen. Nevertheless, they rose to the challenge, and the end result is both unprecedented and eye-catching.

http://www.shizukuya.com/products/10th_anniversary/opus10.html

The first model is called Akatsuki, meaning “Dawn,” and has a deep, almost wine color.

http://www.shizukuya.com/products/10th_anniversary/opus10.html

But if you want to get as much use as possible out of your hakama, you might want to opt for the Hayabusa (“Falcon)” version, which is easier to coordinate with due to its basic black leather.

http://www.shizukuya.com/products/10th_anniversary/opus10.html

However, this high fashion comes with a high price. The Hayabusa is priced at ¥420,000 (US$3,750), while the Akatsuki is an even heftier ¥480,000 (US$4,300).

http://www.shizukuya.com/products/10th_anniversary/opus10.html

Those prices aren’t just a result of all the work that goes into the Hayabusa and Akatsuki, but also the sheer amount of leather. Due to their complex construction, hakama require far more material than a normal pair of pants. In fact, the amount of raw materials required is closer to how much you’d use to make a business suit, and each of the Opus.10 hakama needed one and a half entire cowhides to put together.

http://www.shizukuya.com/products/10th_anniversary/opus10.html

Also contributing to the cost is the fact that Wazigen Shizukuya isn’t mass-producing these leather hakama. Only one of each style will be made, so while they’ll cost you a pretty penny, you can be absolutely certain of avoiding the potential embarrassment of someone else showing up in the same outfit as you for your meeting with the shogun.

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