Zori

Not to be confused with Zorri.

Zori

setta, a type of zōri
Type	Japanese sandal
Material	rice straw, cloth, lacquered wood, leather, rubber or synthetic materials
Place of origin	Japan

Zōri (草履（ぞうり）) are thonged Japanese sandals made of rice straw, cloth, lacquered wood, leather, rubber, or—most commonly and informally—synthetic materials. They are a slip-on descendant of the tied-on waraji sandal.

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 zōri with them.

Use

Like many Japanese sandals, zōri are easily slipped on and off, which is important in Japan, where shoes are removed and put back on when entering and leaving a house, and where tying shoelaces would be impractical when wearing traditional clothing.

The traditional forms of zōri are seen when worn with other traditional clothing. Modern forms are fairly common, however, with casual Western wear, especially in summer. While geta are now mostly worn with the informal yukata, traditional zōri are often worn with the more formal kimono.

Materials

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  Zōri were traditionally made in the home, as were waraji.
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  Pictorial instructions on how to weave wara-zōri or waraji in Hida Minzoku Mura Folk Village; woven footwear is uncommonly produced, especially for practical necessity, in Japan in the present day.
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  Similar roughly-woven festival zōri, but with the straps wrapped in fabric before being twisted together.
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  More finely-woven zōri (the thong is also further back). Sewn-on outsoles are just visible at the edges.

The zōri originated as a slip-on form of the tie-on waraji. In the Edo period (1603-1867), the production of zōri became professionalized, and a variety of fancy types of zōri emerged, using fancier materials. While zōri were still commonly woven of rice straw (wara-zōri 藁 草履（わら ぞうり）, literally "straw zōri"), rushes of various kinds and bamboo sheath were also used. 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 (asaura-zōri), wistaria stems, (fujiura-zōri), or wood in lateral strips (zōri-geta or itatsuke-zōri). Leather soles were used on setta. Modernly, polyurethane and cork are used as outsoles.

Zōri also have a variety of upper surfaces. Zōri with a woven wicker covering are referred to as tatami omote If it is woven of rice straw (as above), they are wara-zōri. If they are woven on the same four-warp pattern, but using a weft of bamboo sheath (peelings of bamboo culms), they are takegawa zōri (たけがわ, 竹皮), literally bamboo-skin zōri. The topsole may also be woven of common rush (igusa). This is the material used for most tatami mats, and igusa-zōri 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. Some soles are skiamorphic moldings that look like woven topsoles. Topsoles might also be made of cloth, leather, vinyl cloth, or EVA foam. Soles made entirely of waterproof (usually synthetic) materials are called 雨底 (amezoko zōri), literally rain-soled zōri. Elastomer zōri are called ゴム草履 (gomu-zōri).

Wrapping straw straps with cloth makes the zōri into fuku-zōri (cloth zōri, 服草履（ふくぞうり）) Modern zōri are usually made with the straps as a separate piece, not woven at the same time as the sole.

Hanao

Setta, leather-soled zōri, with flaps for replacing hanao (rear flap is inconspicuous)

The hanao are the straps holding the sole to the foot; the part that should fit loosely between the toes is the maetsubo (前壺), and the side-straps are the yoko-o (横緒). Hanao, like zōri soles, are traditionally symmetrical, with no difference between left and right, though some designs diverge from this.

The hanao of informal zōri can be made of a velour-like material, as in the case of zōri resembling tatami mats. The hanao of more formal colored vinyl zōri are either vinyl or fabric straps. The fabric is often either the fabric used for the shoe, or chirimen (a type of Japanese crepe, of of silk or rayon}}, or cotton, often with a different, softer fabric underneath. Men's zōri may also feature leather or leather imitation hanao.

Traditionally, hanao are adjusted to the wearer, being tied through three holes by strings attached to the straps. Hanao can wear and stretch easily; in such instances, the hanao 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 hanao can be entirely inaccessible, requiring the glued sole to be split open, or entire shoe to be replaced.

Varieties and formalities

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  Side view of a semi-formal vinyl zōri. Two-fabric hanao, softer beneath.
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  Modern formal vinyl women's zōri
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  Rubber gomu zōri, frequently used in bathrooms, and left at the bathroom door
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  EVA flip-flops for sale in Kanagawa Prefecture; note asymmetry
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  Glossy vinyl zōri
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  Woven-fiber zōri with a stitched-on outsole
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  1800s setta; top surface woven
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  Setta; the top surface is a moulded imitation of the surface in the previous image
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  Zōri being worn, with an extra tie around the ankle, hitched around each strap
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  Zōri being worn

Casual zōri, with velour hanao

Both the gender of the wearer and the formality of the occasion affects the choice of zōri. Regardless of variety, zōri are almost always worn with tabi socks.

Women's zōri are seldom flat, save for straw imitation zōri resembling tatami mats. 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 zōri almost always feature a flat sole.

Zōri with a woven wicker covering are referred to as tatami omote Takagawa zōri are generally considered to be relatively formal zōri, even if the covering is only a vinyl imitation of a woven bamboo-sheath cover. Though most zōri with a tatami omote cover are considered to be menswear - known as setta - traditional women's footwear with a tatami omote cover also exist, though these are generally confined to the okobo variety of geta. In contrast, zōri with a woven bulrush cover resembling a tatami mat are not worn with kimono, but are considered working wear or are sometimes matched with casual Western or Japanese clothing. These zōri more closely resemble a flat sandal with a woven base.

Setta were historically mostly takegawa setta, but as of 2002, they were often igusa setta; they were also increasingly likely to have coloured and patterned straps.

Vinyl or plastic zōri are next in formality. They are worn with formal clothing such as a semi-formal kimono. The most formal variety of zōri are generally worn by women; they are brocade covered zōri that are used with the most formal of kimono, such as wedding and funeral wear.

The hanao, or thongs, may be white or black, depending on the occasion; white hanao are worn with formal zōri, with black hanao considered to be informal. They may also complement the colour of the garment. Black, white, and red hanao are traditional and commonly mass-produced, but colourful hanao with a variety of patterns, sometimes chosen separately from the zōri, are also popular.

See also

• Geta, traditional Japanese wooden sandals
• Okobo, traditional Japanese wooden clogs
• Tabi, traditional Japanese split-toed socks
• Jika-tabi, traditional Japanese split-toed boots
• Waraji, a simpler form of traditional Japanese sandal