Zori
Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Infobox clothing type Zori (Template:IPAc-en), also rendered as zōri (Template:Langx, {{#invoke:IPA|main}}), are thonged Japanese sandals made of rice straw, cloth, lacquered wood, leather, rubber, or—most commonly and informally—synthetic materials.<ref name="matcha jp">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> They are a slip-on descendant of the tied-on Template:Transliteration sandal.<ref name="nipponia"/>
Similar in form, modern flip-flops became popular in the United States, Australia and New Zealand when soldiers returning from World War II brought Japanese zori with them.Template:Citation needed
UseEdit
Like many Japanese sandals, zori are easily slipped on and off,<ref name="matcha jp"/>Template:Efn which is important in Japan, where shoes are removed and put back on when entering and leaving a house,<ref name=V&A/> and where tying shoelaces would be impractical when wearing traditional clothing.
The traditional forms of zori are seen when worn with other traditional clothing.<ref name="matcha jp"/> Modern forms are fairly common, however, with casual Western wear, especially in summer. While geta are now mostly worn with the informal Template:Transliteration, traditional zori are often worn with the more formal kimono.
In rain, zori may be worn with toe covers (Template:Transliteration zori).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
MaterialsEdit
- Home Made Shoes in Japan (1914-09 by Elstner Hilton) (borders cropped).jpg
Zori were traditionally made at home, as were Template:Transliteration. Note twine warp, held between hands and toes, and loose-fiber weft, to his right.
- Zori sandals instructions.jpg
Pictorial instructions on how to weave Template:Transliteration or Template:Transliteration in Hida Minzoku Mura Folk Village; woven footwear is uncommonly produced, especially for practical necessity, in Japan in the present day.
- 大祭 人足衆 草履 (3521710144) (cropped).jpg
Similar roughly-woven festival zori, but with the straps wrapped in fabric before being twisted together.
- Which pair? (7112693815).jpg
More finely-woven zori (the thong is also further back). Sewn-on outsoles are just visible at the edges.
The zori originated as a slip-on form of the tie-on Template:Transliteration. In the Edo period (1603-1867), the production of zori became professionalized, and a variety of fancy types of zori emerged, using fancier materials.<ref name="nipponia"/> While zori were still commonly woven of rice straw (Template:Transliteration Template:Ruby-ja, literally "straw zori"), rushes of various kinds and bamboo sheath were also used.<ref name=V&A/> If they were made of something less cheap than rice straw, an extra outsole was often sewn on. This could be made of coiled hemp rope (Template:Transliteration), wisteria stems, (Template:Transliteration), or wood in lateral strips (Template:Transliteration or Template:Transliteration). Leather soles were used on Template:Transliteration.<ref name=V&A/> In modern times, polyurethane and cork are used as outsoles.<ref name=TH/>
Zori also have a variety of upper surfaces. Zori with a woven wicker covering are referred to as Template:Transliteration<ref name=tatamidef/>Template:Efn If it is woven of rice straw (as above), they are Template:Transliteration. If they are woven on the same four-warp pattern, but using a weft of bamboo sheath (peelings of bamboo culms), they are Template:Nihongo3 zori, literally bamboo-skin zori. The topsole may also be woven of common rush (Template:Transliteration). This is the material used for most tatami mats, and Template:Transliteration are also woven on the same many-warp pattern as tatami.
Raffia, rattan, and paper strips (treated and twisted to resemble rush) are also used in topsoles.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="tatamidef">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} (sense two, a footwear top surface of igusa (soft rush), rattan, or bamboo sheath)</ref><ref name=TH/><ref name=sinome/> Some soles are skiamorphic moldings that look like woven topsoles. Topsoles might also be made of cloth, leather, vinyl cloth,<ref name=TH>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> or EVA foam. Soles made entirely of waterproof (usually synthetic) materials are called Template:Nihongo zori, literally rain-soled zori.<ref name=sinome>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}, {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}, {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} Template:Better source needed</ref>Template:Better source needed Elastomer zori are called Template:Nihongo.<ref>File:Gomuzori.jpg</ref>Template:Better source needed
Wrapping straw straps with cloth makes the zori into Template:Transliteration (cloth zori, Template:Ruby-ja)<ref name=V&A/> Modern zori are usually made with the straps as a separate piece, not woven at the same time as the sole.
Template:TransliterationEdit
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The Template:Transliteration are the straps holding the sole to the foot; the part that should fit loosely between the toes is the Template:Nihongo3,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and the side-straps are the Template:Nihongo3. Template:Transliteration, like zori soles, are traditionally symmetrical, with no difference between left and right, though some designs diverge from this.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The Template:Transliteration of informal zori can be made of a velour-like material, as is often the case for Template:Transliteration zori. The Template:Transliteration of more formal colored vinyl zori are either vinyl or fabric straps. The fabric is often either the fabric used for the shoe, or Template:Transliteration (a type of Japanese crepe, of silk or rayon), or cotton, often with a different, softer fabric underneath.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Men's zori may also feature leather or leather imitation Template:Transliteration.
Traditionally, Template:Transliteration are adjusted to the wearer,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> being tied through three holes by strings attached to the straps.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} (mostly pictorial)</ref> Template:Transliteration can wear and stretch easily; in such instances, the Template:Transliteration can be adjusted or replaced through small flaps in the soles, which conceal the knots that hold them in place. In other instances, however, the Template:Transliteration can be entirely inaccessible, requiring the glued sole to be split open, or entire shoe to be replaced.
Varieties and formalitiesEdit
Template:More citations needed
- Zori-or.jpg
Side view of a semi-formal vinyl zori. Two-fabric Template:Transliteration, softer beneath.
- Zori1.jpg
Modern formal vinyl women's zori
- Sandals - Hirata Folk Art Museum - Takayama, Gifu, Japan - DSC06786.jpg
Historic cloth-covered zori
- Gomuzori.jpg
Rubber Template:Transliteration zori, frequently used in bathrooms, and left at the bathroom door
- どれにしようかな。 (9533503205).jpg
EVA flip-flops for sale in Kanagawa Prefecture; note asymmetry
- エナメル (2100306811).jpg
Glossy vinyl zori
- Zori.jpg
Template:Transliteration zori with a stitched-on outsole. These seem to be made of paper "rush"
- MET DP14486.jpg
1800s Template:Transliteration; top surface woven
- Setta,japanese-leather-soled-sandals,japan.JPG
Template:Transliteration; the top surface is a moulded imitation of the surface in the previous image
- 581px-Zori in Aoi festival 1a.jpg
Zori being worn, with an extra tie around the ankle, hitched around each strap
- Jidai Matsuri 2009 080.jpg
Zori being worn
Both the gender of the wearer and the formality of the occasion affects the choice of zori. Regardless of variety, zori are almost always worn with Template:Transliteration socks.
Women's zori are seldom flat, save for Template:Transliteration zori. The soles come in different thicknesses and angles, and are typically covered by vinyl or fabric, though some modern varieties feature a hard black plastic sole with a non-slip base. In contrast, men's zori almost always feature a flat sole.{{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= Template:Fix }}
Zori with a woven wicker covering are referred to as Template:Transliteration<ref name=tatamidef/>Template:Efn Template:Transliteration zori are generally considered to be relatively formal zori, even if the covering is a vinyl imitation of a woven bamboo-sheath cover. Though most zori with a Template:Transliteration cover are considered to be menswear - known as Template:Transliteration - traditional women's footwear with a Template:Transliteration cover also exist, though these are generally confined to the Template:Transliteration variety of geta.{{ safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst||date=__DATE__ |$B= Template:Fix }} In contrast, Template:Transliteration zori are more modern,<ref name="Kazue">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and are not worn with kimono, but are considered working wear or are sometimes matched with casual Western or Japanese clothing. These zori more closely resemble a flat sandal with a woven base.
Setta were historically mostly Template:Transliteration, but Template:As of, they were often Template:Transliteration; they were also increasingly likely to have coloured and patterned straps.<ref name="nipponia"/>
Vinyl or plastic zori are next in formality. They are worn with formal clothing such as a semi-formal kimono. The most formal variety of zori are generally worn by women; they are brocade covered zori that are used with the most formal of kimono, such as wedding and funeral wear.
The Template:Transliteration, or thongs, may be white or black, depending on the occasion; white Template:Transliteration are worn with formal zori, with black Template:Transliteration considered to be informal. They may also complement the colour of the garment.<ref name="matcha jp"/> Black, white, and red Template:Transliteration are traditional and commonly mass-produced, but colourful Template:Transliteration with a variety of patterns, sometimes chosen separately from the zori, are also popular.<ref name=karankoron>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }} (see enlarged image)</ref>
See alsoEdit
- List of shoe styles
- Template:Transliteration, a zori that comes to life when possessed by a Template:Transliteration
- Geta, traditional Japanese wooden sandals
- Template:Transliteration, traditional Japanese split-toed boots
- Template:Transliteration, traditional Japanese wooden clogs
- Template:Transliteration, traditional Japanese split-toed socks
- Template:Transliteration, a simpler form of traditional Japanese sandal
NotesEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
Template:Sister project Template:Sister project Template:Footwear Template:Japanese clothing