View source for Zori

{{Short description|Flat Japanese sandals similar to flip-flops}}
{{distinguish|Zorri (disambiguation){{!}}Zorri}}
<!-- deliberate link to disambiguation page -->
{{Infobox clothing type
| name          = Zori
| image_file    = Zori (16042894618).jpg
| image_size    = 250x250px
| caption       = {{transliteration|ja|Setta}}, a type of zori
| type          = Japanese sandal
| material      = rice straw, cloth, lacquered wood, leather, rubber or synthetic materials
| location      = Japan
| manufacturer  = 
| url           = 
}}
'''Zori''' ({{IPAc-en|'|z|ɔː|r|i}}), also rendered as '''zōri''' ({{langx|ja|[[Wiktionary:草履|{{Ruby-ja|草履|ぞうり}}]]}}, {{IPA|ja|d͡zo̞ːɾʲi}}), are thonged [[Japan]]ese [[sandal]]s made of rice straw, cloth, lacquered wood, leather, rubber, or—most commonly and informally—synthetic materials.<ref name="matcha jp">{{Cite web|url=https://matcha-jp.com/en/3536|title=Geta and Zōri - Japanese Encyclopedia|last=MATCHA|website=MATCHA - JAPAN TRAVEL WEB MAGAZINE|language=en|access-date=2020-03-12}}</ref> They are a slip-on descendant of the tied-on {{transliteration|ja|[[waraji]]}} 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.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

==Use==
Like many Japanese sandals, zori are easily slipped on and off,<ref name="matcha jp"/>{{efn|See {{transliteration|ja|[[waraji]]}} for similar, tie-on sandals.}} which is important in Japan, where shoes are removed and put back on when [[Genkan|entering and leaving a house]],<ref name=V&A/> and where tying shoelaces would be impractical when wearing [[kimono|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 (footwear)|geta]] are now mostly worn with the informal {{transliteration|ja|[[yukata]]}}, traditional zori are often worn with the more formal [[kimono]].

In rain, zori may be worn with toe covers ({{transliteration|ja|shigure}} zori).<ref>{{cite web |title=Traditional Japanese Shoes |url=https://japanesestyle.com/traditional-japanese-shoes/ |website=JapaneseStyle.com |date=20 March 2019}}</ref>

==Materials==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Home Made Shoes in Japan (1914-09 by Elstner Hilton) (borders cropped).jpg|Zori were traditionally made at home, as were {{transliteration|ja|[[waraji]]}}. Note twine [[warp (weaving)|warp]], held between hands and toes, and loose-fiber [[weft]], to his right.
File:Zori sandals instructions.jpg|Pictorial instructions on how to weave {{transliteration|ja|wara-zōri}} or {{transliteration|ja|waraji}} in [[Hida Minzoku Mura Folk Village]]; woven footwear is uncommonly produced, especially for practical necessity, in Japan in the present day.
File: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.
File:Which pair? (7112693815).jpg|More finely-woven zori (the thong is also further back). Sewn-on outsoles are just visible at the edges.
</gallery>

The zori originated as a slip-on form of the tie-on {{transliteration|ja|waraji}}. 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]] ({{transliteration|ja|wara-zōri}} {{Ruby-ja|藁 草履|わら ぞうり}}, 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 ({{transliteration|ja|asaura-zōri}}), wisteria stems, ({{transliteration|ja|fujiura-zōri}}), or wood in lateral strips ({{transliteration|ja|zōri-geta}} or {{transliteration|ja|itatsuke-zōri}}). Leather soles were used on {{transliteration|ja|setta}}.<ref name=V&A/> In modern times, [[polyurethane]] and [[Phellodendron amurense|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 {{transliteration|ja|[[tatami]] omote}}<ref name=tatamidef/>{{efn|Though tatami are not woven with the sheaths of the ''Phyllostachys bambusoides'' plant, the term "tatami" is used generally in this instance to refer to a woven plant-origin covering - "{{transliteration|ja|tatami omote}}" roughly translating as "woven covering".}} If it is woven of rice straw (as above), they are {{transliteration|ja|wara-zōri}}. If they are woven on the same four-warp pattern, but using a weft of [[Phyllostachys bambusoides#Uses|bamboo]] sheath (peelings of bamboo [[culm (botany)|culm]]s), they are {{nihongo3|竹皮|たけがわ|takegawa}} zori, literally bamboo-skin zori. The topsole may also be woven of [[common rush]] ({{transliteration|ja|igusa}}). This is the material used for most [[tatami|tatami mats]], and {{transliteration|ja|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.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lee |first1=Stephen |title=The Origins of Matsuri Attire |url=https://ucsdmatsuri.org/culture/all/japan/the-origin-of-matsuri-attire |website=UCSD MATSURI 2021 |publisher=ucsdmatsuri.org}}</ref><ref name="tatamidef">{{cite web |last1=第２版,世界大百科事典内言及 |first1=日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ),デジタル大辞泉,精選版 日本国語大辞典,ブリタニカ国際大百科事典 小項目事典,家とインテリアの用語がわかる辞典,百科事典マイペディア,リフォーム用語集,日本文化いろは事典,世界大百科事典 |title=畳とは |url=https://kotobank.jp/word/%E7%95%B3-93406#E3.83.87.E3.82.B8.E3.82.BF.E3.83.AB.E5.A4.A7.E8.BE.9E.E6.B3.89 |website=コトバンク |access-date=16 June 2021 |language=ja}} (sense two, a footwear top surface of igusa (soft rush), rattan, or bamboo sheath)</ref><ref name=TH/><ref name=sinome/> Some soles are [[skiamorph]]ic moldings that look like woven topsoles. Topsoles might also be made of cloth, leather, [[PVC clothing|vinyl cloth]],<ref name=TH>{{cite web|title=Types of Japanese Traditional Footwear|url=https://tsujiya.jp/knowridge-en/types-japan-footwear/?lang=en|website=tsujiya.jp|publisher=Tsujiya Honten|access-date=2021-06-17|archive-date=2022-01-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120092027/https://tsujiya.jp/knowridge-en/types-japan-footwear/?lang=en|url-status=dead}}</ref> or [[EVA foam]]. Soles made entirely of waterproof (usually synthetic) materials are called {{nihongo|雨底|amezoko}} zori, literally rain-soled zori.<ref name=sinome>{{cite web |title=Japanese zori sakata amezoko. Traditional Japanese thongs. |url=https://www.sinonome.org/en/japanese-shose/1346-amezoko-zori-white.html |website=SINONOME |language=en-us}}, {{cite web |title=Japanese zori sandal sakura- footwear of rice straw |url=https://www.sinonome.org/en/sandal-bamboo/3199-japanese-zori-sandal-sakura-red.html |website=SINONOME |language=en-us}}, {{cite web |title=Igusa zori men. Traditional bamboo flip flops handmade in Japan. Comfortable and light Japanese thongs adapted to warm climates. - SINONOME |url=https://www.sinonome.org/en/244-zori-igusa |website=www.sinonome.org}} {{Better source needed|date=June 2021}}</ref>{{Better source needed|date=June 2021}} [[Elastomer]] zori are called {{nihongo|ゴム草履|gomu-zōri}}.<ref>[[:File:Gomuzori.jpg]]</ref>{{Better source needed|date=June 2021}}

Wrapping straw straps with cloth makes the zori into {{transliteration|ja|fuku-zōri}} (cloth zori, {{Ruby-ja|服草履|ふくぞうり}})<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.

==={{transliteration|ja|Hanao}}===
[[File:雪駄 (20816353559).jpg|thumb|{{transliteration|ja|Setta}}, leather-soled zori, with flaps for replacing {{transliteration|ja|hanao}} (rear flap is inconspicuous)]]

The {{transliteration|ja|hanao}} are the straps holding the sole to the foot; the part that should fit loosely between the toes is the {{nihongo3|maetsubo|前壺}},<ref>{{cite web|title=How to Wear, How to Walk|url=https://tsujiya.jp/knowridge-en/how-to-wear-how-to-walk/?lang=en|website=tsujiya.jp|publisher=Tsujiya Honten|access-date=2021-06-17|archive-date=2022-10-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221022170433/https://tsujiya.jp/knowridge-en/how-to-wear-how-to-walk/?lang=en|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the side-straps are the {{nihongo3|yoko-o|[[:wiktionary:はなお|横緒]]}}. {{transliteration|ja|Hanao}}, like zori soles, are traditionally symmetrical, with no difference between left and right, though some designs diverge from this.<ref>{{cite web |title=No Left or Right in Traditional Japanese Footwear?|publisher=Tsujiya Honten |url=https://tsujiya.jp/knowridge-en/no-left-no-right/?lang=en |website=tsujiya.jp}}</ref>

The {{transliteration|ja|hanao}} of informal zori can be made of a [[velour]]-like material, as is often the case for {{transliteration|ja|igusa}} zori. The {{transliteration|ja|hanao}} of more formal colored vinyl zori are either vinyl or fabric straps. The fabric is often either the fabric used for the shoe, or {{transliteration|ja|chirimen}} (a type of Japanese crepe, of silk or [[rayon]]), or cotton, often with a different, softer fabric underneath.<ref>{{cite web |title=HANAO (straps) |url=http://www.karankoron.com/online_shop_hanao.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010413015524/http://www.karankoron.com/online_shop_hanao.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=April 13, 2001 |website=www.karankoron.com |publisher=Karankoron |access-date=17 June 2021}}</ref> Men's zori may also feature leather or leather imitation {{transliteration|ja|hanao}}.

Traditionally, {{transliteration|ja|hanao}} are adjusted to the wearer,<ref>{{cite web |title=Choosing an Authentic Retailer |publisher=Tsujiya Honten |url=https://tsujiya.jp/knowridge-en/artisans-shop/?lang=en |website=tsujiya.jp}}</ref> being tied through three holes by strings attached to the straps.<ref>{{cite web |title=How to attach Hanao to your geta 花緒(鼻緒)のすげ方(じょじょ) |url=http://www.karankoron.com/hanaosuge.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010216182545/http://www.karankoron.com/hanaosuge.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=February 16, 2001 |website=www.karankoron.com |language=ja}} (mostly pictorial)</ref> {{transliteration|ja|Hanao}} can wear and stretch easily; in such instances, the {{transliteration|ja|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 {{transliteration|ja|hanao}} can be entirely inaccessible, requiring the glued sole to be split open, or entire shoe to be replaced.

==Varieties and formalities==
{{more citations needed|section|date=June 2021}}
<gallery mode=packed>
File:Zori-or.jpg|Side view of a semi-formal vinyl zori. Two-fabric {{transliteration|ja|hanao}}, softer beneath.
File:Zori1.jpg|Modern formal vinyl women's zori
File:Sandals - Hirata Folk Art Museum - Takayama, Gifu, Japan - DSC06786.jpg|Historic cloth-covered zori
File:Gomuzori.jpg|Rubber {{transliteration|ja|gomu}} zori, frequently used in bathrooms, and left at the bathroom door
File:どれにしようかな。 (9533503205).jpg|EVA flip-flops for sale in [[Kanagawa Prefecture]]; note asymmetry
File:エナメル (2100306811).jpg|Glossy vinyl zori
File:Zori.jpg|{{transliteration|ja|Tatami}} zori with a stitched-on [[outsole]]. These seem to be made of [[paper rush|paper "rush"]]
File:MET DP14486.jpg|1800s {{transliteration|ja|setta}}; top surface woven<!-- of bamboo [[culm (botany)|culm]] sheath (contradicts MET image metadata)-->
File:Setta,japanese-leather-soled-sandals,japan.JPG|{{transliteration|ja|Setta}}; the top surface is a [[skiamorph|moulded imitation of the surface]] in the previous image
File:581px-Zori in Aoi festival 1a.jpg|Zori being worn, with an extra tie around the ankle, [[single hitch|hitched]] around each strap
File:Jidai Matsuri 2009 080.jpg|Zori being worn
</gallery>
[[File:Zoori straw.png|thumb|Casual {{transliteration|ja|[[Juncus effusus|igusa]]}} zori, with many-warp top surface and velour {{transliteration|ja|hanao}}]]
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 {{transliteration|ja|[[tabi]]}} socks.

Women's zori are seldom flat, save for {{transliteration|ja|igusa}} 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.{{dubious|reason=[[:File:Kamakura_Matsuri_2010_101104_0230.jpg|This source link is an image]] of a man who has glued a non-flat-soled-zōri to his waraji, and the images at the end of the gallery seems to show a flat sole worn by a woman, and a heeled sole being worn by a man... both have tatami omote topsoles. this may be outdated|date=June 2021}}

Zori with a woven [[wicker]] covering are referred to as {{transliteration|ja|[[tatami]] omote}}<ref name=tatamidef/>{{efn|Though tatami are not woven with the sheaths of the ''Phyllostachys bambusoides'' plant, the term "tatami" is used generally in this instance to refer to a woven plant-origin covering - "{{transliteration|ja|tatami omote}}" roughly translating as "woven covering".}} {{transliteration|ja|Takagawa}} 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 {{transliteration|ja|tatami omote}} cover are considered to be menswear - known as {{transliteration|ja|setta}} - traditional women's footwear with a {{transliteration|ja|tatami omote}} cover also exist, though these are generally confined to the {{transliteration|ja|[[okobo]]}} variety of geta.{{dubious|reason=[[:File:Kamakura_Matsuri_2010_101104_0230.jpg|This source link is an image]] of a man who has glued a non-flat-soled-zōri to his waraji, and the images at the end of the gallery seems to show a flat sole worn by a woman, and a heeled sole being worn by a man... both have tatami omote topsoles. this may be outdated|date=June 2021}} In contrast, {{transliteration|ja|igusa}} zori are more modern,<ref name="Kazue">{{cite web |last1=Kazue |title=3 Reasons Why You Should Have Geta |url=https://learnjapanese123.com/3-reasons-geta/ |website=LearnJapanese123 |access-date=2 July 2021 |date=5 April 2021}}</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 {{transliteration|ja|takegawa setta}}, but {{as of|2002|lc=yes}}, they were often {{transliteration|ja|igusa setta}}; 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 {{transliteration|ja|hanao}}, or thongs, may be white or black, depending on the occasion; white {{transliteration|ja|hanao}} are worn with formal zori, with black {{transliteration|ja|hanao}} considered to be informal. They may also complement the colour of the garment.<ref name="matcha jp"/> Black, white, and red {{transliteration|ja|hanao}} are traditional and commonly mass-produced, but colourful {{transliteration|ja|hanao}} with a variety of patterns, sometimes chosen separately from the zori, are also popular.<ref name=karankoron>{{cite web |title=Zori |url=http://www.karankoron.com/online_shop_zori.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010413025232/http://www.karankoron.com/online_shop_zori.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=April 13, 2001 |website=www.karankoron.com |publisher=Karankoron}} (see enlarged image)</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of shoe styles]]
* {{transliteration|ja|[[Bakezōri]]}}, a zori that comes to life when possessed by a {{transliteration|ja|[[kami]]}}
* [[Geta (footwear)|Geta]], traditional Japanese wooden sandals
* {{transliteration|ja|[[Jika-tabi]]}}, traditional Japanese split-toed boots
* {{transliteration|ja|[[Okobo]]}}, traditional Japanese wooden clogs
* {{transliteration|ja|[[Tabi]]}}, traditional Japanese split-toed socks
* {{transliteration|ja|[[Waraji]]}}, a simpler form of traditional Japanese sandal

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name=V&A>{{Cite book|last=Victoria and Albert Museum. Department of Textiles|url=http://archive.org/details/guidetojapaneset02vict|title=Guide to the Japanese textiles: Costume|volume=2|last2=Smith|first2=A. D. Howell|last3=Koop|first3=Albert J. (Albert James)|translator-first1=Hogitaro|translator-last1=Inada|date=1919–1920|publisher=London : Printed under the authority of H. M. Stationery Office|others=Harold B. Lee Library |quote=[from volume 2, page 8] The simplest form of outdoor footwear is the waraji, a sandal of coarse rice-straw, some what shorter than the foot, to which it is firmly tied by means of two straw laces (often covered with white paper). These laces issue from between the first and second toes and pass in turn through a couple of loops at each side, up over the foot, through the loop which forms a heel-piece, and back again to be tied over the instep. The waraji are used by men for energetic and long-continued work, travelling, etc. Their length of life is only about twenty-four hours, but they are very cheap (about a farthing a pair) and supplies of them are carried by travellers and thrown away when worn out...{{pb}}For ordinary use, such as leisurely walking on hard, dry ground, the zōri is employed. This is a sandal of fine rice-straw matting and normally has no separate sole. But varieties of it, made of woven rushes of various kinds or of bamboo-sheath, are commonly soled with coiled hemp-rope (asaura-zōri), with wistaria-stems, (fujiura-zōri), or with wood in lateral sections (zōri-geta or itatsuke-zōri). A superior variety, known as setta, has a raw-hide sole with iron heel-piece {{sic|nolink=y}}.{{pb}}The zōri is kept on by means of two thick soft cords (hanao) of twisted cotton or paper, covered with leather or cloth, issuing from each side near the heel and uniting with a short, thinner piece which passes between, and is gripped by, the first and second toes. Rush zōri with very thick tapering cords of straw-rope covered with white paper or cotton are known as fuku-zōri. In modern times the hanao do not come so far back as in former days; the sandal itself is also a little shorter, instead of being slightly longer, than the foot}} (translator did not translate the full book text, but from the acknowledgements of vol 1 it sounds as if some of his translations might be incorporated into the work. Volume 1 came out in 1919, volume 2 in 1920. Note the work is in the [[public domain]], therefore the [[:File:Guide to Japanese Textiles, Part II.pdf|fulltext]] is not copyright)</ref>
<ref name="nipponia">{{cite journal |editor1-last=Jun-ichi |editor1-first=Ishikawa |title=Traditional Footwear |journal=Nipponia |date=June 15, 2002 |number=21 |url=https://web-japan.org/nipponia/nipponia21/en/topic/index02.html |access-date=8 June 2021 |publisher=Tokyo Inshokan Printing Co., Ltd.}}</ref>
}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Zori (footwear)|lcfirst=yes}}
{{wiktionary|zōri}}
{{Footwear}}
{{Japanese clothing}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zori}}
[[Category:Sandals]]
[[Category:Japanese footwear]]
[[Category:Straw objects]]
[[Category:Weaving]]