Tabi

A pair of white tabi. Tabi are traditional Japanese socks with split-toe construction.

Pair of

are traditional Japanese socks worn with thonged footwear such as zori, dating back to the 15th century.

History

Japanese are usually understood today to be a kind of split-toed sock that is not meant to be worn alone outdoors, much like regular socks. However, were originally a kind of leather shoe made from an animal hide, as evidenced by historical usage and the earlier form of the word, , written , with the kanji literally signifying "single hide". As Japanese footwear evolved, also changed, with the split-toe design emerging towards the late Heian period (794–1185 CE) to allow the wearer to accommodate the thong of sandals. Outdoor versions of involved some kind of reinforcement, with soles traditionally made of cloth, leather, or straw.

Brothers Tokujirō Ishibashi and Shōjirō Ishibashi, founders of the tyre company Bridgestone, are credited with the invention of rubber-soled in 1922; these are now the dominant form of outdoor , and the term generally refers to the indoor form.

Use

A close-up of a person wearing patterned kimono, white tabi, and tall geta.

being worn with geta

are worn by both men and women with traditional formal footwear such as zori, and sometimes the less-formal geta. are typically worn with clothing such as kimono. are sewn with a divided toe, in order to be worn with thonged footwear.

Historically, most people in Japan wore , as most Japanese footwear was thonged; however, some, such as upper-class courtesans and the geisha of Fukagawa, did not wear them, as the bare foot was considered to be erotic in Japanese culture. Others, such as lower-working class members of society who could not afford , either did not wear them or wore boots such as instead.

In traditional Japanese spaces and buildings, such as Noh theatres, teahouses and for traditional stage performances, must be worn, and shoes are not worn inside or on stage.

Styles

The most common color of is white, which represents purity. White are worn in formal situations such as tea ceremonies. Men sometimes will wear blue or black for traveling. Colored are also available, and are sometimes used in kabuki theatre as part of a character's costume, or are worn with more casual outfits as fashion.

Traditionally, are sewn from cloth cut to form. They are open at the back to be slipped on and have fasteners along the opening (known as ) so they can be closed. sewn from stretch material without fasteners are also available.

One distinctive style of are . Made of heavier, tougher material and often having rubber soles, resemble boots and are outer footwear rather than socks. Like other , also have divided toes.

Modern versions

Contemporary socks—socks with a separation between the big toe and the rest of the toes—are also available. This reflects the number of people who still prefer to wear zori and geta, especially during Japan's hot, humid summers.

Modern occasionally have elastic openings instead of fasteners.

Belgian fashion house Maison Margiela has released modern boots with a separated big toe since the late 1980s-early 1990s. They can cost more than $1000 per pair. In 2023, the story of a man stealing a pair of tabi shoes from his Tinder date was amplified by TikTok and other social media sites.

A related item are toe socks, which have five separate compartments; these are known as in Japanese.

Gallery

• A pair of white cotton tabi, 1700s
  Cotton , 1700s
• Cloth Script error: No such module "lang". with ties, early 1900s
  Cloth with ties, early 1900s
• Modern Script error: No such module "lang". with Script error: No such module "lang". hook-and-loop fasteners
  Modern with hook-and-loop fasteners
• Knitted stretch-on Script error: No such module "lang"., no fasteners
  Knitted stretch-on , no fasteners
• Sheer Script error: No such module "lang".
  Sheer
• Black tabi
  Woven
• Close-up photo of kohaze (metal clasps), used to fasten tabi.
  Close-up of
• Sewing the loops
  Sewing the loops
• Brightly patterned Script error: No such module "lang".
  Brightly patterned
• Leather Script error: No such module "lang"., Edo period (1603–1867), precursors to modern Script error: No such module "lang".
  Leather , Edo period (1603–1867), precursors to modern
• Script error: No such module "lang". with reinforced hobnailed soles, Edo period
  with reinforced hobnailed soles, Edo period
• Farmworkers wearing outdoor Script error: No such module "lang"., 1912
  Farmworkers wearing outdoor , 1912
• Early 20th century cloth-soled Script error: No such module "lang". boots (reconstruction of 1912 marathon Script error: No such module "lang".)
  Early 20th century cloth-soled boots (reconstruction of 1912 marathon )
• A fisherman wearing Script error: No such module "lang". with sewn-on woven-straw soles, 1915
  A fisherman wearing with sewn-on woven-straw soles, 1915
• Modern tabi boots designed by Maison Margiela
  Modern tabi boots designed by Maison Margiela

External links

• The Museum of website Template:In lang
• at the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences
• at the University of Michigan Museum of Art
• at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Maison Martin Margiela: Women's boots at the RISD Museum