Folding the hakama

Note before you begin: The hakama in this photo guide had been rather out of use when we took pictures of it. It was hung in a closet for a few months. Hence it is rather wrinkled and the pleats are disappearing. We will replace these pictures within the month with a more accurate depiction of a normal hakama after practice. Sorry for the inconvenience!

1. Place the hakama flat on its back and smooth out the wrinkles (try to do a better job than I did on the pictures.

2. Fold the sides towards the center

3. Fold into thirds starting from the bottom.

4. Turn it around so the flat panel is facing you, than take the front strap or maehimo and cross it at a 45 degree angle as shown.

5. Fold the front strap into fours.

6. Do the same for the other side

7. Take the back strap, or ushirohimoand loop it under both front straps as shown.

8. Loop it around again once more changing the angle of approach

9. Tuck into the back string then begin doing the exact same thing on the other side as shown.

10. After doing both sides, you should end up with something that looks like this.