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Post by HikaruNoGo on Apr 15, 2004 1:48:23 GMT -5
I plan on cosplaying at a con in July, and my character is a member of the Shinsengumi. I want to wear the swords correctly- how do I wear them with my hakama?
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Post by Okita Souji on Apr 15, 2004 3:20:35 GMT -5
Hi there. You'll need an obi to wear the swords properly. Men's obi are usually 3-4 inches wide. The best type of obi are ones that are made of a stiff material so the swords won't sag when you wear them. Course, how tight you wrap it it will also depend. I've taken iaido for 7 years and at times I still can't get the obi tightened quite right and my katana moves around alot.
Also, if you wear a wakizashi with your katana, place it between the folds of the obi to prevent the saya of the wakizashi from rubbing against the saya of the katana.
Btw, i've cosplayed as a Shinsengumi character before. Are you going to be at AX? Contact me via e-mail if you wish to chat on AIM or any other message client.
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Post by Kiyoaki on Apr 15, 2004 13:33:08 GMT -5
I think you also need to twine the cords on the scabbard through the windings of the obi as well to really secure the "saya".
Kiyoaki
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Post by Okita Souji on Apr 15, 2004 20:21:06 GMT -5
Actually not really. That is done in iaido as kind of a appearance thing. In my Ryu we don't even tie it we just pass the ends of the sageo (the cords on the saya) through the hakama ties. In the past, samurai would just leave the sageo tied around the saya in that decorative knot.
To really secure the saya down using the sageo would be dangerous in combat since you won't be able to move the saya enough to effectively draw the blade or the opponent can hinder your movement if they grabbed it.
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Post by Kiyoaki on Apr 21, 2004 19:35:36 GMT -5
Okita san,
Assuming a guy isn't wearing hakama, what happens then?
Kiyoaki
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Post by Okita Souji on Apr 26, 2004 5:27:12 GMT -5
The katana and wakizashi are still in the obi, so it's secure.
With or without hakama, the swords are always passed through the folds in the obi.
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Post by chiiyo on Mar 2, 2005 9:15:59 GMT -5
This is very interesting, I cosplayed a Shinsengumi a few years back too but we didn't have obi... so we just stuck both the katana and wakizashi into the hakama ties. =_=. Didn't realise it was wrong.
So the katana goes in the first layer of obi? And the wakizashi in another layer? Is that it?
Also, how to do you prevent knocking into people with the back of the swords when you walk around? Because the swords stick out so much at the back we tended to hit other people when we turned around...
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