Tabi

Japanese Split-Toe Footwear

October 2008, January 2009

Explanation

When wearing geta or zori, unless you're going to go barefoot (no class!) you need special split-toed socks and foot covers. I have a bunch of tabi socks that I made by simply cutting into an athletic sock and stitching, but I really wanted something nicer. You can buy tabi and soled tabi, but they're pretty expensive. I researched patterns for a couple of years, and finally decided to just dive in and make some.

They came out pretty good, I think. It remains to be seen how well they stand up over time, and how comfortable they are to wear for long periods, but so far, so good.

Unlike most tabi, these tie shut instead of using the hook thngies (kozane) that traditional tabi use. I've actually been told that medieval tabi, if I want to be truly accurate, would not just have tied closed, they would be open in front of the foot instead of behind the foot like these do. Oh well, I expect I'll make a few more pairs of these over time.

Materials

These tabi are made almost entirely of linen, with white linen for the shell and "natural" linen for the lining and sole. I used more white linen for the ties.

There is actually a layer of heavy interfacing between the two layers of the sole. I don't know if this is strictly necessary, and the polyester interfacing I used is definitely not period, but it seemed advisible to have a little padding. In the future I might use cotton batting or extra layers of cloth. I'd also like to coat the sole of at least one pair with latex so that the soles have more grip and are waterproof.

The Process

I used the pattern and instructions found in John Marshall's book, "Make Your Own Japanese Clothes". He provides a general pattern, and gives advice for modifying it to fitt your foot. I made two unlined prototypes for fitting purposes before I took the plunge to make a finished pair. It was worth the extra effort to wind up with a pair that fits pretty well. I expect I will continue altering my pattern as time goes on.

Generally speaking, assembly goes as you expect. You sew the two upper pieces togetther for both the shell and the lining, then attach the two together. Then, you baste around the sole to hold the layers in place, and sew it to the upper. Finishing would normally mean sewing button holes and attaching kozane, but instead I sewed an "eighth width" cloth tie around the top of the foot opening using the same method I use for everything else. The top seam of the foot opening is completely inside the tie.

One thing I'm not sure about with this pattern is that the seam attaching the sole is just sitting there inside the tabi. It could wind up being uncomfortably abrasive. I think I have a method for getting rid of that. If I sew the shell and lining separately, I can insert the lining, then attach the two layers just by sewing my ties on around the top.

The second pair of tabi was made using the same pattern, only the tabi are closed at the back and open in the front. I'm told this is more accurate for medieval tabi. Sewing the split in front was tricky, and had to be done before the inner and out layers of the upper are basted together. Sewing the back closed was just sewing the completed back edges onto each other.

This makes the tabi a little more difficult to put on, but the back doesn't gap open and they're much more comfortable to wear. I'm going to do all future tabi with open fronts.